Microbiological Risks Associated With
Spaceflight
Duane L. Pierson, Ph.D.
NASA Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas
www.spaceflight.nasa.gov
MICROBIOLOGY MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to enable human exploration and habitation of space through a
better understanding of microbes and human–microbe interactions in the space
environment.
MAJOR FOCUS: RISK MITIGATION
•
SPACE FLIGHT OPERATIONS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
REQUIREMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
CREW DIAGNOSTICS
FOOD ANALYSIS
CREW TRAINING
DATABASE
OPERATIONAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
•
INFECTIOUS DISEASE RISK (HOST-MICROBE INTERACTION)
•
SPACE FLIGHT
•
GROUND-BASED
ADVERSE EFFECTS OF MICROORGANISMS
• Infectious Diseases
• Plant Diseases
• Food Spoilage
• Toxin Production
• Allergies
• Volatile Release
• Material Degradation
• Immune Alteration
• Environmental Contamination
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
• Acceptability standards
–
(air, surfaces, water, and food)
• Preflight assessment
– Crew
– Environment
– Payload biosafety assessment
• In-flight environmental
monitoring
– Air:
– Surfaces:
– Water:
Microbial Air Sampler
Surface Sampler Kit
Water Microbiology Kit
STS MISSION PROFILE
PREFLIGHT
IN-FLIGHT
POSTFLIGHT
ACTIVITIES
Microbiology
Viral Serology
L-90
Food Analysis
L-2
Orbiter Evaluation
L-30
R+0
L-40
L-2
Crew Evaluation
Orbiter Water
Servicing
L-15
R+0
AIR DATA STS-58
1200
Bacteria
Fungi
CFU /m 3
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Middeck Flight
Deck
Spacelab
FD1
Middeck Flight
Deck
Spacelab
FD6
Middeck Flight
Deck
Spacelab
FD12
Bacteria Isolated From Shuttle In-Flight Air (n=16)
Flavobacterium sp.
Klebsiella sp.
Pseudomonas paucimobilis
Serratia marcescens
Unidentified gram negative rods
Enterobacter sp.
Acinetobacter sp.
Streptococcus sp.
Staphylococcus aureus
Corynebacterium sp.
Bacillus sp.
Micrococcus sp.
Staphylococcus sp.
0
20
40
60
80
Isolation Frequency (%)
100
Fungi Isolated From Shuttle In-Flight Air (n=16)
Pleospora sp.
Nigrospora sp.
Geotrichum sp.
Rhodotorula sp.
Microsporium sp.
Drechslera sp.
Streptomyces sp.
Alternaria sp.
Cladosporium sp.
Aspergillus fumigatus
Hyphomycete
Penicillium sp.
Aspergillus sp.
0
20
40
60
80
Isolation Frequency (%)
100
“. . . The aging mir …. is nearly overrun with
the stuff (fungi). Vistors have found numerous
fungal patches with hues between green and
black, feeding behind control panels, slowly
digesting the ship’s air conditioner,
communications unit, and myriad other
surfaces.”
Gareth Cook, Boston Globe Staff (10-1-00)
“. . . Mir crewmembers noticed that the view
from the station’s porthole was deteriorating
due to an unknown film that was spreading like
horror movie scum.”
Yuri Karash
Space.com 7/27/00
MICROBIAL ANALYSIS DURING FLIGHT
Surfaces
Water
Air
Wolf spent several hours working with Vinagradov
to mop up a basketball-size drop of water………
“I didn’t realize I bought myself anywhere
from two to six hours per day doing this
for the rest of the mission.”
- Astronaut David Wolf
from DRAGONFLY by Bryan Burrough
BACTERIA FROM MIR SURFACE
CONDENSATE
NASA 6
“SLIMY” SAMPLE
Alcaligenes eutrophus
Alcaligenes latus
Citrobacter freundii
Corynebacterium aquaticum
Corynebacterium jeikeium
Enterobacter agglomerans
Escherichia coli
Escherichiaflava
coli
Hydrogenophaga
Kingella denitrifican
Methylobacterium
species
Pseudomonas vesicularis
Serratia liquefaciens
Unidentified gram negative rod
Xanthomonas maltophilia
NASA 7
“SLIMY” SAMPLE
Alcaligenes faecalis
Bacillus circulans
Bacillus coagulans
Bacillus licheniformis
Bacillus pumilus
Bacillusspecies
CDC Group IVC 2
Citrobacter brackii
Citrobacter freundii
Comamonas acidovorans
Corynebacterium species
Flavobacterium meningosepticum
Presumptive Legionella species
Pseudomonas fluorescens
Serratia liquefaciens
Serratia
marcesens
Serratia
marcescens
Unidentified gram negative rods (3)
Yersinia frederiksenii
Yersinia intermedia
NASA 7
“FRESH” SAMPLE
Bacillus coagulans
Bacillus licheniformis
Bacillus pumilus
Bacillusspecies
Comamonas acidovorans
Corynebacterium species
Enterobacter cloacae
Presumptive Legionella
species
Presumptive
Legionella
Pseudomonas species
Rhodococcus species
Serratia liquefaciens
Serratia marcerans
Sphingobacterium thalpophilum
Unidentified gram negative rods (4)
Yersinia frederiksenii
Yersinia intermedia
Organisms Recovered From Mir Surface
Condensate
ciliated protozoa
ameoba
dust mite
spirochete-form bacterium
BACTERIAL FINGERPRINTING
BIODEGRADATION
• Microorganisms play a key
role in the biodestruction
of materials and can
contribute to equipment
and hardware malfunctions
Future Directions
Major Challenges in Mars Exploration
• Air
• Food
• Water
• Habitability
• Radiation Effects
• Crew Contamination
• Forward-Backward Contamination