NASA offers money to startups that can solve space-travel problems

NASA has announced plans to fund startups that help the organization's quest to develop new technology for healthcare and medical needs both in space and on Earth, according to an announcement Tuesday from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute Industry Forum. The funding program, named SMARTCAP ACCEL, will give no-strings-attached grants to companies that target a list of areas and fit a certain number of criteria.

NASA is focusing in particular on technologies that address the effects of radiation exposure, inadequate nutrition, bone fracture, or heart health. They're also requesting ideas for routine surveillance. To be suitable for space, proposed solutions have to be operable in a remote setting without a doctor or lab around. They must rely on solar power only and cannot work off gas or use consumables that degrade, according to MedCityNews.

The pursuit of technologies suited for space seems incredibly specific. But the constraints and goals of the project would also create potential technologies to use in places that don't have sophisticated healthcare systems in place, like remote areas or third-world countries. NASA has shown similar interest in other initiatives targeted at space travel with additional applications on Earth like 3D-printable food.