For a sick child, few things can seem as daunting – and foreign – as undergoing cancer care. From the medical terminology used by healthcare workers to the technology used in treatment, many steps in the process can seem particularly foreign to children and adults alike.

Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center has embraced the supernatural aspects of cancer treatment by partnering with the one and only NASA to launch a new space-centered program for cancer patients. Mission: Go all systems! draws parallels between patients’ experiences during treatment and the way astronauts prepare for spaceflight, with the goal of helping children and their families, as well as adults with cancer, through a difficult time.

The program includes an immersive room that mimics a NASA control center, a space-themed playlist to listen to during treatment, a certificate of completion created by NASA, and an informational video told by an astronaut. Patients can also use a magnetic board to track their progress, view posters in exam rooms related to the program, and share a Q&A video with family and friends to better understand the connections.

The program was developed by Fred Hutch’s proton therapy staff and members of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) team after a team member noticed that pediatric patients were saying that the gantry – a machine that rotates 360 degrees around a patient to access different treatment angles for treatment – ​​resembles a spaceship.

“Part of NASA’s mission is to ‘enhance life on our planet,’” said Al Feinberg, media specialist at SCaN. “Let’s hope Mission: All systems work!” will help these children and their families through a very difficult and trying time in their lives.

To learn more about this program, read this Fred Hutch Blog Post on Cancer Care.