Micra pacemaker survives flight to space
The Medtronic Micra is the smallest pacemaker currently available. It’s so small that it’s delivered via a catheter and attached to the endocardium of the heart, where its internal battery paces the heart for years. It’s certainly an incredible piece of technology, but a high school student had a wild idea of testing whether such a fine piece of electronics can withstand a flight into space.
Thankfully NASA has a sounding rocket program that flies small experiments to a high altitude but still below orbit, allowing all sorts of things to be tested. The Micra flew on a 36-foot long Terrier-Improved Orion rocket and reached 73 miles above Earth during a 13 minute flight.
Following the mission, the device was run through a regular series of tests all of which checked out. More tests are still going to be conducted to see if there was any damage to the Micra during flight.
Featured products
MAX17793
Analog Devices Inc.
3V to 80V, 3A, High-Efficiency, Synchronous Step-Down DC-DC Converter
| SKU: | MAX17793 |
|---|---|
| Stock: | 9316 |
| Cost: | $3.64 |
MAX22516
Analog Devices Inc.
IO-Link Data Link Controller with Transceiver and Integrated DC-DC
| SKU: | MAX22516 |
|---|---|
| Stock: | 8000 |
| Cost: | $5.42 |
