Many microbes end up on the International Space Station with astronauts, as well as aboard cargo spacecraft. Microbes create complex structures – biofilms. They are found, in particular, on spacesuits, as well as in the station’s water supply system.
Some of these microbes do not pose a threat to the health of astronauts, but others are very dangerous, because they can cause serious diseases. Thanks to biofilms, microbes are in a relatively protected state from external threats.
Biofilms also cause damage to the plant’s equipment. Parts of the water supply system already have to be sent back to Earth to remove germs.
Scientists believe that a special lubricant can protect astronauts from the negative effects of microbes on the human body.
The astronauts treated some of the materials on the station with a special silicon-based lubricant and moved the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa there. These bacteria normally live in soil and water on Earth. Once in the human body, they can provoke the development of diseases of the blood and lungs. At the same time, they are resistant to antibiotics.
As the experiment showed, the new lubricant did not allow microbes to create a strong biofilm on the surface. Scientists believe that such technology will play an important role in the fight against harmful bacteria during missions to the Moon and Mars.
Recall that 8-year-old British Isabella Payne, with the help of her father’s amateur radio station , contacted the ISS and talked to astronaut Kell Lindgren from NASA. The conversation lasted 45 seconds.
