Bone Densitometer (BD)
Managed By: NASA
Implementation Partner: Techshot
Hardware Details
Bone Densitometer – the Only DXA Scanner in Space
Specifications:
- X-ray system for measuring bone density on mice in microgravity
- Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)
- Method is used to calculate absolute bone density, in g/cm2, in humans, mice and other laboratory animals
- Measures X-ray absorption by bone and soft tissue and reports bone density in mice. It can also determine soft tissue density, lean/fat ratio and total animal mass (i.e. weighing mice in space)
- Exam Box is used to hold the specimen
- Uses the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)
Great for:
- Rodent research up to 30 grams
- Fish and other animals
