A Nebraskan's View

Monday, December 21, 2009 THE SILICON PRAIRIE: NEBRASKA'S HIGH TECH REPUTATION CONTINUES TO GROWby Ben Nelson Robots being developed in Nebraska will play a role in NASA’s future manned missions into space. These robots won’t be playing just any role, either. They’ll be playing a life saving role for astronauts. Taxpayers invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to train an astronaut and it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to launch and carry out space missions which are getting longer and longer in duration. As missions get longer, it is critical to be prepared for instances when an astronaut could have a life threatening medical emergency. During a mission, it is not possible to go to the local hospital. Through tele-surgery, mini surgical robots can be used to perform life-saving diagnosis and treatment without jeopardizing completion of the mission if an astronaut falls ill or is injured. Exciting News for NebraskaDevelopment of these surgical robots is exciting not only for America’s space program; it utilizes an expertise at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center to create cutting edge surgical tools and techniques. It’s made possible through $2.7 million in federal funds that have been earmarked for UNL and UNMC in a project called Supporting Surgical Options in Space. UNMC and UNL will use the funds they requested to design, simulate, and test miniature in vivo robots to support surgery during long-duration space missions. Through tele-surgery, the mini surgical robots will have the ability to cut, clamp, cauterize, and suture inside the abdominal cavity. If NASA sends a crew up for a relatively long mission and one of the astronauts has an emergency medical event, there are two choices: end the mission early or address the problem in space. It makes sense to invest in a way that will allow the crew to assess the situation medically, determine if an immediate return is necessary and also be able to administer treatment. Spreading the InvestmentMost Nebraskans would probably agree that it makes sense to spread the investment around. Why should the funds remain in Washington or go only to institutions of higher education on the coasts when UNL and UNMC are more than capable of developing these robots? It’s not the first time NASA has expressed support of Nebraska’s ability to help their program.This fall, NASA awarded UNMC $750,000 for further research on this technology. Additionally, in 2006 NASA invited UNMC to participate in the NEEMO 9 Mission in which UNMC demonstrated the technology to NASA astronauts and received a positive evaluation. Federal Funding Transparency As is my standard practice when Nebraskans ask for my support in obtaining an earmark for a worthwhile project, there is complete transparency. This project has been listed on my website since it was requested last May for people to comment on and has gone through the hearing process before being passed by the Senate by a vote of 71 to 28. This is really good news for Nebraskans entering high tech fields who would like to be educated closer to home. They won’t have to leave the state for Silicon Valley; medical and engineering students will be able to stay closer to home learning at institutions in Nebraska which has a growing reputation as the Silicon Prairie.