"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before".  
-Star Trek opening theme 

For years NASA has been researching the potential effects of long-duration space flight.   It's interesting to think about all the details that need to be taken into consideration for a mission like that.  Astronauts on short term flights have reported side effects such as insomnia, loss of balance and even altered sense of taste.  But what about all the day to day issues that come up?  You can't run to the grocery store when you're out of milk or to Target for "retail therapy".  And you definetly can't get to the hospital when there's an emergency.  So researchers are devoloping ways to treat astronauts in space.  Scientists with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are developing an ultrasound technology that could overcome some medical care challenges associated with kidney stone treatment.  Progress like this provide new resources for those of us who prefer to keep our feet on the ground while we live long and prosper.
    
http://www.nsbri.org/newsflash/indivarticle.asp?id=382&articleID=155