The life of microorganisms on the international space station is now being investigated by scientists to ensure the safety of astronauts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1998, after 12 years of orbiting the earth, the Russian space station, Mir, showed its age. There were frequent power outages, computers were unreliable, and the climate control system leaked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when the crew finally examined the types of microbes they brought into the space life, they were surprised by their findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When opening the inspection panel, the crew of the space station found several globs of cloudy water each the size of a soccer ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even more worrisome are the groups of organisms that attack the rubber seals on the windows of the space station and the insects that secrete acids that slowly feed on power lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When each Mir module is launched from the earth, it is almost sterile. The rides are assembled in a clean room by engineers wearing masks and other personal protective equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, all the unwanted things inside the space station have now been brought into orbit by the astronauts and cosmonauts from various countries tasked with operating the spacecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We share life and bodies with microbes. From the bacteria that line our intestines to the microscopic mites that bite our dead skin, it’s estimated that more than half of our bodies are not ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of these microbes are harmless, in fact their presence is important to enable us to digest food and fend off disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wherever we go, we carry the microbiome. Like humans, they have also learned to adapt to life in outer space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Space is a stressful environment, and that doesn’t apply to humans alone,” said Christine Moissl-Eichinger, who led the European Space Agency’s (ESA) latest study on the microbiome that astronauts and cosmonauts bring to the Space Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Flights into space are so stressful that the crew wonders if microbes are also experiencing the same thing and having a bad impact,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research was running on time. Next November, the ISS will mark its 20-year operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the whole world battles the Covid-19 pandemic, an interesting question arises about how to ensure the space station remains free of pests and damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the discovery on Mir, biologists were concerned that other living things might also be on the space station, especially microbes that could have devastating consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We hoped to see differences between the genes and composition of microbes, including the adaptations they went through to survive in this place,” Moissl-Eichinger of the Medical University of Graz, Austria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientists found that there are 55 types of microorganisms that thrive on the ISS. However, despite the low level of gravity in the space, the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses adapt well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They are no longer resistant to antibiotics and have the potential to attack human health. We have found that they have adapted to a variety of metal surfaces,” said Moissl-Eichinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Microbes that chew metal objects are called technophiles. Like their presence on Mir, the microbes pose a long-term risk to the space station’s systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Going forward, they will pose problems with space security and feasibility management,” said Moissl-Eichinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the ISS crew played a major role in the existence of the microbiome. Each astronaut is scheduled to clean the station’s surface with an antimicrobial liquid. They also use a vacuum cleaner to remove the hard-to-clean dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a daily priority to keep the kitchen clean and prevent sports equipment exposed to sweat from getting moldy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We rely a bit on astronauts to keep things clean,” said Christophe Lasseur, head of life support systems research at the European Space Agency (ESA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The main difference between being at home and the space station is that the dust doesn’t stay in the room, but rather collects in the air vents.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“But there are also other objects such as pencils or glasses that will break due to the air filter,” said Lasseur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, any object that is not mounted on the wall of the space station has the potential to migrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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