Reply by the Authors

The authors concur with the sentiments expressed from the University of Washington group, and believe that the technological benefit to US citizens, and to humanity in general, has been substantial from research and development efforts supporting human spaceflight. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other space agencies typically publish a summary of “spin-off” technologies that have resulted from space engineering, scientific, and medical research and development, in partnership with industry and academia. 1 NASA spinoff technology transfer program. https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Date accessed: August 9, 2017 Google Scholar Estimates indicate an approximately 9:1 (estimated range $7-$14 to $1) dollar return : cost for space research and development investment. Therefore, although national space program budgets are typically <1% of federal expenditures (0.5% specifically for NASA in the United States), this investment has yielded high dividends to the public in the way of economic growth, technology development, and technology transfer for terrestrial spin-off application. 2 Amadeo K. NASA budget: current funding and history. https://www.thebalance.com/nasa-budget-current-funding-and-history-3306321Date accessed: August 9, 2017 Google Scholar , 3 Lyons L. 5 popular misconceptions about NASA. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-lyons/misconceptions-nasa_b_3561205.htmlDate accessed: August 9, 2017 Google Scholar Up and Away: Five Decades of Urologic Investigation in MicrogravityUrologyVol. 106PreviewA renewed global interest in manned space exploration has emerged, propelled by the challenge of reaching a new frontier: travel to the Red Planet, Mars. As the physiological changes induced by microgravity bear direct relevance to the safety and viability of these goals, we provide a historical narrative of the urologic investigations in space. We review the significant contributions to the understanding of the urologic consequences associated with exposure to microgravity, considerations for prolonged missions, and forward-looking efforts to manage emergent conditions remotely. Full-Text PDF Re: Leapman et al.: Up and Away: Five Decades of Urologic Investigation in Microgravity (Urology 106:18-25)UrologyVol. 110PreviewWe write to thank you and the authors for the fine review article entitled “Up and Away: Five Decades of Urologic Investigation in Microgravity”1 and offer comment about how space research is transforming clinical care on Earth. We are fortunate to have been funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), a NASA partner, to develop technologies to diagnose and manage renal stones in spaceflight. Full-Text PDF