Astronauts Have Taken The First Human X‑Rays in Space
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have successfully performed the first diagnostic-quality X-rays in space. This milestone, published in the journal Radiology, marks a significant advancement in space medicine and long-term mission health capabilities.
Why it matters
As human space exploration expands, the ability to perform medical diagnostics in microgravity is essential for ensuring the safety and health of crews on long-duration missions.
Add ScienceAlert on Google Hand X-rays taken, from left to right, pre-flight, in orbit, and post-flight, from three different individuals using the same imaging protocol. (Gifford et al., Radiology , 2026) For more than 65 years, humans have been soaring through space.
Since the first spaceflight by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in April 1961, the human presence in space has become a constant, with a revolving team of international spacefarers residing aboard the International Space Station.
In the coming decades, our presence in space is likely to expand – and with it, the need for vital medical tools to keep our cosmic explorers healthy.
Now, for the first time, astronauts in orbit have taken diagnostic-quality X-rays of their own bodies – the culmination of years of work. The results are now published in the journal Radiology .
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