NASA is taking a page out of Star Trek's book by developing its own Tricorder technology for the International Space Station. Ok, it's not exactly like the Tricorder, but it could be its ancestor.

NASA's tech is called the LOCAD-PTS, or Lab-on-a-chip Application Development Portable Test System. One NASA scientist, who also happens to be a Trekkie, describes it this way:

LOCAD is like that tricorder in that it is portable, rapid, and detects a biochemical molecule. LOCAD is specifically designed to detect and identify microbes on space station surfaces.

The tech was developed to search and destroy exterminate microbes. Tiny lifeforms can mean real trouble in space stations. Fungi was actually able to decompose some of the electronics on the Russian Space Station MIR.

Compared to the Tricorder, which is basically point and click, the LOCAD is still primitive. (Considering that the earliest appearance of the Tricorder in the Star Trek timeline is in the 23rd Century, that's quite understandable).

In order for the LOCAD to detect life, crew members have to swab surfaces for samples, and then feed this sample to the computer. Fifteen minutes later, they'll know if there are evil little aliens microbes lurking about.