Astronauts have numerous health issues when they are away in space for an extended duration. The absence of gravity weakens their muscles, their bones become weaker, and even the functioning of their organs is impaired. But do you know that the sterile and clean environment within the International Space Station (ISS) may also be ill-making?
A recent study indicates that space travelers can experience immune system issues, such as skin rashes and inflammation, due to the extremely sterile environment. Scientists think introducing more natural microbes to the ISS would help make astronauts healthier.
The study was led by Rodolfo A. Salido and Haoqi Nina Zhao from the University of California San Diego (UCSD). They worked with experts from multiple universities, NASA, and other research institutions. With the help of astronauts aboard the ISS, the team collected samples from 803 different surfaces—100 times more than any previous study.
They made 3D maps of where various chemicals and bacteria existed within the space station. The study showed the ISS contains vastly fewer varieties of microbes than are found in structures on Earth. The majority of microbes on board the ISS originated from astronauts themselves, primarily in the form of shed skin cells.
They discovered that various locations of the ISS had various sets of microbes. For instance, the kitchen tended to have food-based bacteria and the bathroom was full of microbes associated with waste from humans.
A fascinating discovery was the prevalence of cleaning supplies and disinfectants inside the ISS. Cleanliness, as everyone can imagine, would be essential here. However, scientists suspect over-sanitization will end up doing more harm by lessening the diversity of beneficial microbes on hand.
“We noticed that the abundance of disinfectant on the surface of the International Space Station is highly correlated with the microbiome diversity at different locations on the space station,” said Zhao.
Scientists recommend that space missions in the future must have a more diverse set of microbes to establish a healthier environment. Rather than maintaining everything sterile, they recommend introducing good bacteria, much like those in soil and water on our planet.
“Future built environments, including space stations, could benefit from intentionally fostering diverse microbial communities that better mimic the natural microbial exposures experienced on Earth,” said Salido.
This would mean astronauts may have to take beneficial bacteria with them and establish a balance of the ecosystem in space. Much like gardening for a stronger immune system on earth, taking microbes in space could benefit astronauts to live healthier.
The research was supported by institutions such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), the ISS National Laboratory, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Their paper, titled “The International Space Station has a unique and extreme microbial and chemical environment driven by use patterns,” was published on February 27th in the journal Cell.
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