The Story Behind Our Mission
How It All Started
Inspiration for our program.
Young patients ages 5-17 can spend as much as an hour tightly strapped into state-of-the-art medical treatment machines (think MRIs) for as many as 42 consecutive days. Many patients claimed these hi-tech machines looked just like “spaceships”. This observation served as the inspiration for this project. NASA thanks the Seattle Fred Hutch Cancer Center and National Association for Proton Therapy staff whose dedicated assistance made this project a success. The videos, and accompanying products, are a new resource for treatment centers, and support President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s Cancer Moonshot.
Learn more about NASA's Space Act Agreements about How It All StartedMission Brief
While comfortably seated in your “Mission Control Center,” patients will watch the “Mission Brief” video from NASA astronaut and medical doctor, Kjell Lindgren. Lindgren is a veteran of two spaceflights and spent 311 days living aboard the International Space Station.
During his discussion of astronaut training, Lindgren will offer tips and heartfelt reassurance to patients that they, too, can meet similar challenges they face on their therapy “mission,” such as tight spaces, unusual custom gear, limited mission “comms” and a normal case of “the jitters.”
Credit: NASA / Hannah Obremski & Robert Sweeney
Certificate of Completion
Signed by astronaut Kjell Lindgren, MD and Dr. James D. Polk, NASA’s Chief Health and Medical Officer. You may personalize this full-color certificate, suitable for framing, with your medical facility's name and that of your patient. The certificate will serve as an enduring reminder of your patients' personal association with NASA and its important Artemis missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, as well as our science spacecraft observing Earth, traveling beyond our solar system, and exploring the reaches of our Universe.
Download CertificatePrepare for takeoff
Mission Toolkit
Everything you need to launch.
Equip yourself with:
• 15 printable posters and banners
• 4 hi-res “Mission Control” wall decals
• Certificate of Completion
Mission Posters
Additional posters are available for download in the media toolkit.
Pillars of Creation
Pillars of Creation, in the Eagle Nebula more than 6,500 light-years from Earth as seen by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.
Michael Hopkins
A "selfie" of NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 38 Flight Engineer, on an EVA (extra-vehicular activity) outside the International Space Station (ISS).
Ingenuity Mission
Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, as viewed by NASA's Mars Rover Perseverance, on the Red Planet in 2023.
Kjell Lindgren
NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren with newly-arrived fresh citrus brought to the International Space Station (ISS) by an uncrewed cargo ship.
NASA’s “MISSION: All Systems GO!” Participant Terms and Conditions
NASA’s MISSION: All Systems GO! is a set of images, videos, certificates and related materials (the “Materials”) intended for use by healthcare providers to assist in reducing the anxieties of children and other patients facing difficult treatment protocols for cancer and other maladies by comparing their challenges with those of NASA astronauts about to embark on a mission to space.
To read the full Terms and Conditions, click here.
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