Dirt on Spacecraft Might Be Necessary for Astronaut Health

A strategy to keep the spacecraft as clean and infertile as possible to ensure that astronauts do not get sick may be a mistake. Researchers studying the International Space Station (ISS) say our immune system may require stimulation from certain types of molecules and microorganisms to maintain good health.

“The general concept is to have as few microorganisms as possible, but the question is whether it's the best thing for long-term space travel.” Peter Drestein At the University of California, San Diego. “And that's related to places on earth, such as research. [stations]hospitals and submarines, can spend more than a few months. ”

One reason for sterilizing spacecraft is to avoid covering contaminated planets such as Mars with microorganisms from Earth, but the main concern is that infections that can easily be treated on our planets can become a major problem with spacecraft.

Dorrstein and his team analyzed over 700 surface swabs mounted on the ISS.

“The space station doesn't have many molecules and microorganisms,” he says. “It's at the extreme edge of human life.”

The team believes this lack of exposure to the usual wide range of molecules and microorganisms could be one of the reasons why there is a major change in the universe's immune system. On space stations, astronauts are often subject to rashes, abnormal allergies, fungal or bacterial infections, and activation of latent viruses such as Epstein Barr found in one of the samples.

“We don't fully understand that,” says Drestein. “But the way I see this is that you have to ping your immune system regularly.”

Researchers say they need to find ways to ensure that environments like space stations are “more diverse in molecules and microorganisms, but without introducing infectious pathogens.”

One way to do this is Subtilis Bacillus Instead of disinfectant, Drestein says. B. subtilis It is already widely used for antifungal activities.

Growing a variety of plants is also helpful. “We know from other studies that when people are exposed to more plant molecules, they tend to have a reduced connection to asthma and allergies,” Drestein says. He says these plant molecules are not entirely present in the space station.