Chapter 412 Test
"Susan, get ready and turn on the remote surgery system. Dr. Yang is going to operate on Steven."
Collins, who was more familiar with Houston's liaison with the International Space Station than the chief medical officer who had flown in from Washington, became the de facto coordinator of the operation.
The communication network composed of three satellites is the only connection between the International Space Station and Houston, and it is also the only guarantee for Steven's life.
Susan and David Hawley, already on the verge of despair, heard the order and took action immediately. No matter whether they could do it or not, this was their only hope.
They had already installed and fixed the remote surgery system. The sterile-packaged robotic arm was protected by a shield. The flat plate that replaced the operating bed was also firmly fixed. Steven was firmly fixed on the flat plate by the restraint device.
In a microgravity environment, if there is no good fixation, any movement of the human body in weightlessness will be fatal.
This is the first space surgery in human history, and it uses a remote surgery system. The International Space Station has prepared so many equipment and drugs, and there are not many times when real doctors are needed. The last medical incident was when an astronaut suddenly suffered an emergency. A thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein occurred, causing doctors on the ground to be highly nervous.
After assessing the condition, the doctors first used the anticoagulant drug enoxaparin, which was reserved in the space station's medicine box, for subcutaneous injection. 43 days later, the rocket sent a batch of oral anticoagulant drug apixaban to the International Space Station. The astronaut recovered under the drug treatment. , returned successfully.
This time, Steven's condition was completely different. It couldn't be treated with drugs, and interventional surgery was necessary.
"Do you need to adjust the posture of the space station?" David Hawley became Susan's only helper.
Richard is responsible for the engineering issues of the space station: "Maintain the original posture, check the air pressure of the space station, check the power system, and pay attention to the impact of micrometeorites on the space station. If ready, communication tests will begin."
The space network relies on a system of tracking and data relay satellites positioned in high orbits that primarily use radio signals to communicate with ground-based antennas. After receiving the signals, the ground antennas send these signals to various NASA centers through fixed lines. Then, NASA's computer system converts these signals into readable data. When the data is sent back to the International Space Station from the Earth, This process is reversed with a delay of less than 1 second.
If the delay does not exceed 1 second, the signal is in a stable state. Sometimes due to interference for various reasons, the signal weakens, and communication will be delayed or interrupted.
Even if the signal can be stabilized, a delay of 1 second is fatal to this high-risk surgery.
Not long ago, the International Space Station's network communication capacity was expanded, and it already has a bandwidth of 600 megabits. Strictly speaking, this bandwidth cannot meet the needs of remote surgery.
The four flexible robotic arms were jointly researched by NASA, MIT, and Intuition. It should be the best surgical system in the world at present. It not only has good accuracy, but also has good flexibility and stability, but it still has flaws. There is no good tactile feedback.
The original intention of developing surgical robots was to be used by NASA for medical treatment of astronauts on the space station, and it was later converted to civilian use.
Therefore, NASA's surgical robot is the originator of the entire surgical robot industry.
There is a room in the Houston Ground Control Center dedicated to operating the space station's surgical robots. Jimbasa has sent many security guards to take care of safety. Doors, aisles, elevators, and stairs are all strictly protected to prevent interference in the surgical process.
In addition to Space City security, the Houston Police Department and the FBI have all sent officers to protect the building. Jim Bartha has the strongest authority at this time.
The operation room became a safe house, with only four people, Huang Jiacai, Cheng Liquan, Johannesson, and Collins, staying inside. Everyone else was outside. Engineers responding to emergencies could only stay on standby outside the isolation zone of the room.
Journalists are restricted from entering this building. Any reporter who infiltrates may affect the operation due to rashness, making all efforts in vain.
Even in the face of overwhelming criticism, Jim Bartha ruthlessly blocked reporters outside Space City Houston, and the entire Space City was closed.
Once the emergency relief reached the national level, Jimbasa received direct authorization from the president, and various powerful supports followed.
Aerospace giants such as Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman are ready to provide support. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is ready to take off again at any time for intensive launches to transport possible medical supplies. Even sending people to the International Space Station.
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, both private space companies, have also joined the rescue plan to accept deployment.
Symantec is responsible for the security of communications networks between the space station and the ground, preventing troublesome hackers from disrupting remote surgery operations.
The meteorological department has upgraded the level of weather monitoring and provided weather forecasts at any time. Meteorology is the biggest unstable factor that interferes with communications.
On the surface, everything is calm, but all the support forces are in place, for no other reason than the success of this operation.
Every request from Yang Ping will be turned into an order, and finally into effective resources to support this operation.
Medically speaking, Steven's remote surgery is almost impossible to achieve. No one can operate telemedicine equipment to this extent: free access to the blood vessels in and out of the brainstem.
But this Chinese can do it, he is the only hope, and all resources will surround him to serve the purpose.
"Communication connection!"
"Start testing!"
All the 600 Mbps bandwidth is used for surgery, but the communication is still unstable due to signal problems.
Yang Ping began to operate the four robot arms. It would be a huge challenge to overcome the interference of random and irregular delays and interruptions. Network test, picture delay, unable to achieve surgical accuracy.
Can the network speed and stability be improved? If you can, the success rate will be higher.
Yang Ping stopped testing. He hoped that the network speed would be faster and the network would be more stable.
Jim Bartha and Richard came into the "safe house". Richard said: "There are two solutions that can help us, and both can be called at any time. The Broadband Global Communications Satellite Communications System (WGS), which is a military communications system, has the White House It’s not a problem to come forward and lend it to us temporarily. Another way is to use all the satellites of SpaceX’s Starlink program to support this operation, but there is no guarantee that there will be no delays. There are too many unstable factors in space communications.”
Indeed, the International Space Station communications supported by three satellites cannot support such a high-risk operation.
If you can use either of these two communication systems to obtain strong and stable communication, the success rate of the operation will be higher. At this time, even a little improvement is meaningful.
"The Broadband Global Communications Satellite Communications System (WGS), the U.S. global military needs its support. We don't know how much communication capabilities can be mobilized for us. It will be more convenient to call SpaceX's Starlink satellites. It can stop all current services and temporarily use them for us." rescue mission.”
Yang Ping thought for a while: "You decide which one to use. I need more powerful network communication, and as soon as possible!"
Even if there is no delay, using a robot to perform this kind of surgery is like going to heaven. There are various risks hidden in it. The more chances of winning, the more hope.
With just a phone call, spaceX immediately supported the rescue mission. The headquarters of the Starlink project began to adjust the satellite connections, all of which were connected to NASA's International Space Station and Houston to form a dedicated network for surgery.
Weather will affect the stability of the network. Meteorological monitoring agencies monitor the cloud images over Houston 24 hours a day. Once there is a concentration of cloud flow or signs of heavy rain, cloud dispersal means will be used if necessary.
The communication problem has been solved. Although it has not fully met the requirements, it is already the best condition.
The International Space Station has aged over the years and has been suffering from minor problems. In addition to communication problems, other problems, such as power failures and micrometeorite impacts, are potential risks. There were cracks in the module built by Japan, which almost killed several astronauts. life.
Small artery embolism in the brainstem, communication delay or interruption caused by any reason, shaking of the patient's body, and loss of control of the robotic arm will all cause Yang Ping to lose control of the operation.
When catheters, guidewires, and coils enter the target blood vessel, once these problems occur, it is almost like a sudden power outage during the operation, and everything goes dark.
Just like a racing driver, suddenly everything goes dark and he can't see anything. No matter how long the period lasts or how good the racing driver is, the result will be a crash and death.
Test communication again! Much improved than before.
"Electric system?"
Richard asked in another room, which served as the command center for the rescue mission.
"Checking!"
David Holly was a little nervous, and he was testing the power system with instruments in his trembling hands.
Yang Ping sat in front of the operating console, came into view, and began to become familiar with the operation of the robotic arm in the new network environment again.
"Someone is attacking our communication system!"
Symantec's security team discovered dozens of attacks that were mitigated by their protection systems, and they immediately reported them to Jim Bassa.
"Damn it, why are people attacking us at this time? We are saving people!" Jim Basa's head was getting big.
Richard was also very nervous: "Aren't we a dedicated communication connection? Is it isolated from the external network?"
Symantec's network security expert shook his head and said: "As long as the device has the physical ability to connect to the Internet, there is no such thing as isolation. But don't worry, these attacks are child's play and we have resolved them."
With so many risk factors, and now another hacker attack, Jim Bass is very worried. In the past, American high school students hacked into the website of the Department of Defense.
"Maybe they are restless middle school students? These restless guys." Jim Bass cursed.
Cybersecurity experts agree with Jim Basa: "Looking at the attack methods, they are relatively immature. They should be middle school students playing around."
In the sky 400 kilometers above the ground, the International Space Station flies over people's heads at a speed of more than 28,000 kilometers per hour. Who would have thought that there is an astronaut on it preparing to undergo surgery.
The work was delayed than planned. I came back very late today. I worked overtime to revise and publish one chapter. The four chapters that I promised to reissue today will be added in the next few days. I took 3 days off, and I felt anxious and uneasy, but I was very moved when I saw the full tolerance and understanding in the comments today! I can only say that you are the best, thank you, really! I must write a good book and write a wonderful story! By the way, this support operation in grassroots hospitals is voluntary labor. It is not easy for brothers in grassroots hospitals.
(End of chapter)