in News
A close-up view of the plasma laser utilized in the recent investigation. Scientists subjected bacteria on fabric swatches, likely for transport by astronauts, to this technology. The eradication of germs on the moon and Mars will be a significant consideration for any future settlers there.(Image credit: Xu et al.)Share this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleSubscribe to our newsletter
As space travelers gear up for extended expeditions to the moon and Mars, maintaining human life far from our home planet will hinge on overcoming a series of technological hurdles. Indeed, scientists must refine the massive rockets and advanced habitats designed to ensure astronaut safety during interplanetary voyages — but they will also need to devise methods for cleaning their garments.
Currently, a novel laboratory study employing controlled bursts of supercharged plasma, a water-free method for laundering in space, indicates that this approach could aid in addressing that requirement.
The task of laundering in orbit might seem arduous (much like it is on Earth), yet it is absolutely crucial for astronaut well-being and for preventing terrestrial microbes from inadvertently contaminating other celestial bodies.
On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts typically wear their clothes until they become unwearable due to soiling, at which point they are disposed of as waste that subsequently incinerates in Earth’s atmosphere upon re-entry. Nevertheless, despite stringent sanitation protocols throughout the station, samples taken from surfaces like handrails and air vents have shown substantial microbial populations on areas that appear pristine. Some of these microorganisms have even adapted to flourish on metallic surfaces.
However, future prolonged missions to the moon or Mars will lack the convenience of frequent resupply missions from Earth, necessitating some form of self-sustaining “space laundry” system.
Comfortable attire and furnishings, which could enhance the livability of future month-long missions, such as a seating area or a proper bed instead of sleeping bags, can rapidly transform into breeding grounds for the microorganisms that humans constantly harbor and shed during daily life. While most of these microbes are benign — even beneficial, in fact — research suggests that some adapt to the stresses of space travel and behave differently in microgravity, potentially increasing their likelihood of causing illness or even damaging spacecraft systems through metal corrosion.
In 2008, astronaut Sandra Magnus tidies the International Space Station using a vacuum cleaner. While effective for capturing loose dust, vacuuming alone will be insufficient for sanitizing human habitats during future long-term missions to the moon and Mars.
(Image credit: NASA)
However, sanitizing these layered “soft goods” presents a particular difficulty in space, where the scarcity of water renders traditional laundering methods impractical.
“You have a couch that six astronauts, or however many, are sitting on day in, day out. How do you keep that thing sanitized so that they don’t spread germs to each other?” Gabe Xu, a professor at the University of Alabama who spearheaded the laboratory experiment, remarked to Live Science. “It’s a challenging problem, but it’s something that we’re going to need to really deal with.”
A matter of health, not stains
Numerous disinfectants commonly employed on Earth, such as Lysol, are not well-suited for spaceflight environments, where airborne particles and chemical vapors can persist in confined habitats and pose risks to the crew’s health, according to Xu.
In the conducted laboratory experiment, Xu and microbiologist Chelsi Cassilly, a planetary protection engineer at NASA, investigated whether plasma — an electrified gas resembling a controlled form of lightning — could provide a viable solution.
The researchers dissected an ordinary cotton T-shirt into small sections and inoculated them with Staphylococcus caprae, a prevalent skin bacterium that has also been detected on board the ISS. Subsequently, utilizing a device comparable in size to a cellphone, the team treated the samples with a pencil-thin, vibrant purple stream of charged gas, or plasma, to gauge its efficacy in eliminating the microbes.
A cotton T-shirt specimen, inoculated with dermal bacteria.
(Image credit: University of Alabama in Huntsville – Propulsion Research Center)
The findings indicate that this method eradicated the bacteria more effectively than the current practices employed on the ISS, which include dry vacuuming and chemical surface sanitation. .
“It will not remove the coffee stains from anyone’s T-shirt,” Xu informed Live Science, but “it will remove the stuff that will make you sick.”
When applied to fabric, the plasma produced highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen compounds that penetrated the fibers, causing cellular membrane rupture in bacteria through oxidative stress. Across trials lasting between 30 seconds and five minutes, the treatment exhibited no discernible damage to the fabric’s fibers, as stated by Xu.
“We believe it’s likely no worse than typical wear and tear,” he conveyed to Live Science.
Related stories
- ‘I heard gasps’ and ‘oh my God’: Artemis II astronauts reveal inside story of their mind-bending solar eclipse
- Astronauts can face ‘nearly lethal doses’ of solar radiation — so why launch Artemis II during the sun’s peak of activity? Space scientist Patricia Reiff explains.
- Astronauts may struggle to reproduce in outer space, study suggests — what does that mean for the future of space colonization?
The innovative aspect of this approach, he elaborated, is its minimal requirement for resources, needing little more than electricity and a functional gas source, thus eliminating the need for water-intensive cleaning systems. The team is currently broadening their research to encompass additional microbial species known to thrive in human environments and aboard spacecraft.
“We are concentrating on organisms that we know are present in space, or that humans naturally produce throughout their day, as these are the elements most likely to be found in a space habitat,” Xu stated.
Ultimately, the researchers envision developing this technology into a portable instrument that astronauts could utilize for routine maintenance within spacecraft and future extraterrestrial dwellings, Xu shared with Live Science. The team presented their initial findings at The Astrobiology Science Conference held in Madison.
Assess your knowledge of humanity’s ventures into space with our spaceflight quiz!
Sourse: www.livescience.com
