Doc NASA

In the game Warhammer 40,000, there exists a group of elite warriors called the Adeptus Astartes, a.k.a., the Space Marines. They are genetically engineered super-soldiers who are far stronger, faster, and meaner than your average Imperial Guard cannon-fodder. During their induction into the Legions, they are implanted with various "geneseed organs" and devices which do the Six Million Dollar number on them. One of the many unique capabilities granted by these implants is the ability to resist and survive large doses of radiation by "supercharging" their immune systems and metabolism. Pretty handy when you're, well... in space. All those giant fusion furnaces throwing out sleeting storms of hard gamma rads and suchlike can really do a number on the human body -- but not if you're a Space Marine!

But all that's just sci-fi silliness, right? Not anymore.

The Space Biosciences Division at NASA Ames creates medical technology for astronauts. They essentially provide healthcare for outer space. Dr. David Loftus is the man who invented the NASA Biocapsule and has been awarded a patent for it.

Picture this: An astronaut is going to Mars. The round-trip journey will take between two and three years. During that time, the astronaut will not have access to a doctor, and there's a lot that can go wrong with the human body in space. So, prior to launch, the astronaut is implanted with a number of NASA Biocapsules. A very small incision is made in the astronaut's skin for each Biocapsule (probably in the thigh), which is implanted subcutaneously. It's outpatient surgery that requires only local anesthetic and a stitch or two to close the wound. But after it's complete, the astronaut's body is equipped to deal with a whole host of problems on its own.

One of the primary threats in space is exposure to high levels of radiation. When astronauts travel beyond Low Earth Orbit (i.e., to the Moon or Mars), they are at risk of acute radiation exposure from "solar particle events," sudden releases of intense radiation from the sun, which can damage bone marrow and wipe out someone's immune system. That's where the NASA Biocapsule kicks in: It could be filled with cells that sense the increased levels of radiation and automatically disperse medicine to help the body compensate.

But that, as they say, is not all. The little buggers can also be adapted to fight cancer without the deleterious side-effects of macro-scale chemotherapy, automatically treat allergies and diabetes, administer long-term gene therapy... The uses are myriad, since the biocapsules respond directly and immediately to changes in the body. Hell, they could probably be designed to fight any viral infection automatically, killing it before you even experience symptoms. No more head colds!

As much as it galls me to give the modern, bloated, blundering version of NASA credit for something, this is a Very Big Deal. Like electricity, gunpowder, and airplane type Big Deal. I heartily approve this use of my tax dollars.