Every kilogram sent to space costs money. Every cubic inch is precious.
In a Cleveland research center that sits quietly within an industrial cityscape, engineers are laying the groundwork for humanity's next great leap — not merely returning to the moon, but learning to live there, and eventually pressing onward to Mars. NASA Glenn Research Center is developing the three pillars of sustained deep-space presence: the power to endure lunar darkness, the propulsion to navigate orbital space, and the medical tools to keep fragile human bodies alive far from Earth. These are not abstract ambitions; they are concrete systems with deadlines, partners, and the weight of human survival behind them.
- A 100-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor is being engineered to land on the moon by 2030, because solar panels alone cannot sustain a base through two weeks of unbroken lunar night.
- Gateway, the orbital hub for future lunar missions, depends on ion thrusters being stress-tested in Glenn's vacuum chambers — football-field-sized solar arrays converting sunlight into xenon-powered thrust.
- The smallest but most human challenge is a portable X-ray machine that must be compact enough to justify its weight in cargo, yet powerful enough to deliver hospital-quality images without a trained radiographer.
- A three-way competition between an Illinois startup, a Korean firm, and Fujifilm is already producing results — one device has already captured the first X-ray of a human hand in space.
- Local partnerships with Cuyahoga Community College and University Hospitals are turning Cleveland classrooms and patient wards into proving grounds for space medicine, with 40 patients currently comparing NASA devices against hospital-grade equipment.
- The stakes are existential in miniature: in deep space, the right diagnostic tool at the right moment may be the difference between a crew member's survival and their loss.
Inside a research facility on Cleveland's east side, NASA Glenn Research Center has become a quiet epicenter of humanity's ambitions beyond Earth. The work spans three domains — power, propulsion, and medicine — each one a prerequisite for the permanent lunar presence the Artemis program envisions, and for the Mars missions that follow.
The most sweeping project is a nuclear fission reactor slated to land on the lunar surface by 2030. Because the moon spends half its time in darkness, solar panels alone cannot sustain the energy demands of a long-term base. The 100-kilowatt plant, developed under Glenn's oversight, represents a philosophical as much as an engineering milestone: humanity designing not just to visit another world, but to inhabit it.
For the Gateway spacecraft that will orbit the moon as a mission hub, Glenn is testing gridded-ion thrusters — devices that harness sunlight through enormous solar arrays, charge xenon gas, and expel it to generate thrust in the vacuum of space. The thrusters are built elsewhere, but Glenn's vacuum chambers are where they are proven.
The most intimate work involves portable X-ray machines. In partnership with Cuyahoga Community College and University Hospitals, Glenn is evaluating compact imaging devices that must be lightweight, low-power, and operable without specialized training. Three finalists — MinXray, Remedi, and Fujifilm — are competing, and one has already imaged a human hand aboard a SpaceX mission.
The testing drew on local expertise in unexpected ways. Tri-C's radiography students observed NASA staff practicing on anatomical phantoms, while the dental hygiene department provided manikins with real bone and tissue for microgravity X-ray technique. The collaboration moved both directions, with Glenn hosting faculty and students for facility tours that one program director described as "a whole day of amazement and wonder."
The final evaluation is now underway at University Hospitals, where roughly 40 patients are receiving X-rays from both standard and NASA devices so physicians can map the technology's strengths and limits. The findings will shape how astronauts deploy the tool during long missions — because in deep space, the right diagnosis at the right moment may determine whether a crew member comes home.
In a research facility on Cleveland's east side, engineers are building the infrastructure for humanity's return to the moon—and the eventual journey beyond it. NASA Glenn Research Center, tucked into the city's industrial landscape, has become central to the Artemis program, the agency's ambitious effort to establish a permanent lunar outpost and prepare for missions to Mars. The work happening here spans three critical domains: the power systems that will sustain a moon base, the propulsion technology that will keep spacecraft in orbit, and the medical tools that will keep astronauts alive when they're farther from home than any human has ever been.
The most audacious of these projects is the nuclear power plant. By 2030, NASA plans to land a 100-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor on the lunar surface—a facility that will work in tandem with solar arrays to provide the constant, reliable electricity a permanent base requires. A moon outpost, after all, exists in darkness half the time. Solar panels alone cannot sustain the scientific research, resource extraction, and infrastructure maintenance that a long-term human presence demands. NASA Glenn is overseeing the development of this reactor, a project that represents not just engineering but a fundamental shift in how humanity thinks about living beyond Earth.
Equally critical is the propulsion system for Gateway, the orbital spacecraft that will serve as a hub for lunar missions. NASA Glenn is testing the gridded-ion thruster, a device that converts sunlight into electricity through two massive solar arrays—each the size of a football field's end zone—and uses that power to charge xenon gas. The charged particles are then expelled, propelling the craft forward through the vacuum. The thrusters themselves are manufactured by companies in Washington state and Massachusetts, but NASA Glenn's vacuum chambers, which replicate the airless environment of space, are where they are proven and refined.
But the most tangible work may be the smallest. In partnership with Cuyahoga Community College and University Hospitals, NASA Glenn is testing portable X-ray machines that could launch to the International Space Station as early as 2027 or 2028. The challenge is deceptively simple: every kilogram sent to space costs money. Every cubic inch of cargo space is precious. So the X-ray device must be compact, low-power, operable by someone without radiography training, and capable of producing hospital-quality images. It must also be worth the weight.
The project began in June 2024 when NASA reviewed more than 200 X-ray systems. Three finalists emerged: MinXray, a compact digital imaging company based in Illinois; Remedi, a Korean medical technology firm; and Fujifilm, the Tokyo-based imaging giant. MinXray's device, about the size of a coffee machine, has already captured the first X-ray of a human hand in space during a SpaceX mission. The others are scheduled for their own orbital tests in the coming years.
Testing these devices required local expertise. At Tri-C's Western Campus, NASA staff trained in the college's radiography lab using anatomical phantoms—human bones encased in clear plastic—while radiography students observed. At the Metropolitan Campus, the dental hygiene department provided manikins with real human bone and tissue so NASA could learn how to capture full-mouth X-rays in microgravity. The collaboration flowed both directions: NASA reciprocated by hosting Tri-C faculty and students for tours of Glenn's facilities. "That was just a whole day of amazement and wonder," said Elizabeth Gildone, the radiology program director at Tri-C.
The final phase of testing is underway at University Hospitals, where patients are being offered the option to have X-rays taken with both hospital-grade equipment and the NASA devices. Physicians and scientists will compare the images to evaluate quality and usability. About 40 patients will participate over the course of a month. The goal is to identify which body parts the device images well and which it does not—information that will determine when and how astronauts deploy it during long-duration missions. "If they find, for example, that this equipment works well for wrists, ankles and forearms, but it's not so useful for shoulders or chests, that'll factor into their decisions," said David Jordan, chief medical physicist in radiology at UH. The work is practical and urgent. On the moon or in deep space, medical support is limited. The right tools on hand could mean the difference between a crew member's survival and loss.
Citas Notables
Having the right tools on hand is crucial to ensure the survival of the crew. It costs a lot of money to send anything into space, so we need to show that these X-ray machines are worth the amount of room they would take in the crew module.— Cy Peverill, project task lead at NASA Glenn
We're helping support the crew that's going out there.— David Jordan, chief medical physicist in radiology at University Hospitals
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a moon base need nuclear power? Isn't solar enough?
The moon has a two-week night cycle. Solar panels work half the time at best. A permanent base needs constant electricity for life support, research, and operations. Nuclear fission gives you that reliability.
And the X-ray machines—why is that a priority for space medicine?
Because you can't call an ambulance from the moon. If an astronaut has a fracture, internal bleeding, or radiation damage, you need to see inside their body. Ultrasound is all they have now, and it doesn't show depth or detail. An X-ray changes that.
But why involve Cuyahoga Community College? Why not just test at NASA?
Because Tri-C has the equipment and expertise already built. The radiography lab, the dental phantoms with real bone—that's years of institutional knowledge. NASA needed to borrow that. And the students learned something too.
What happens if the X-ray machine doesn't work well in space?
Then they try the next one. That's why there are three finalists. One of them will prove itself. But the testing has to be rigorous because you can't afford to send something to orbit that doesn't work.
How does all this connect to Mars?
The moon is the proving ground. Everything they learn about living there—power systems, medical care, resource management—applies to Mars. It's 10 times farther away. You need to know you can survive on the moon first.
What's the timeline?
The nuclear plant lands in 2030. The X-ray machines reach the space station in 2027 or 2028. Gateway is already in development. These aren't distant dreams. They're happening now.