Are we doing the dirty space?

According to an article published in May in Microbiology Today, life in space has become a certainty even more intimate than what we still perceive. Since the race into space began, not only our satellites and astronauts were brought into space. Bacteria are flooding space because ships are not cleaned regularly.

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"Wherever the daring footsteps of humans touch, little creatures will follow," said cosmologist Lewis Dartnell of the University of London .

Russia's Mir space station was introduced into space in 1986, and research on microbial diversity associated with astronauts was also conducted. In 1998, water droplets floating in space were found during a NASA voyage into space. Analysis showed that in water droplets containing bacteria including intestinal pathogenic bacteria E. coli, Yersinia bacteria causing plague, organisms suspected to be bacteria that cause Legionella pneumonia, in addition to fungi , amoebas and protozoa.

'Preventing the spread of bacteria in the solar system has become a top priority for decades now. This attempt is to protect the planets in our solar system. '

The ISS International Space Station is now much cleaner than the Mir space station 20 years ago thanks to a HEPA filter that takes care of the weekly cleaning and disinfecting work. But the ISS space station is unavoidable. Recent analytical samples show that Staphylococcus epidermidis is still present in many different areas.

However, we must not only protect the planets but also protect the astronauts from the risk of infection in the universe. Respiratory infections are very common among astronauts and occur within about a quarter of the space shuttle trip.

According to Lewis Dartnell, 'The process of long-term exposure to cosmic radiation and the vacuum environment is thought to be a negative factor affecting the immune system, facilitating the transmission of infection in enclosed spaces with re-use. use water and air '. Bacteria also give rise to the risk of allergies, causing contaminated water and air supplies to even decay important parts of the spacecraft.

On the morning of May 26 (Hanoi time), the Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars, hoping to find the first direct evidence of organic molecules and water on the Red Planet. 'To ensure the robot arm is always clean, we cover it in a very effective bio-bag.' However, this is not a feasible control method for humans.

Lewis Dartnell said: 'People as well as spacecraft are not clean. Once we set foot on Mars, our little companions followed suit and leaked out. In addition, microorganisms have an extraordinary viability in the form of gametes, resistant to temperature, cold and radiation. So, when people have risen to Mars, we can never be sure that all the biological discoveries obtained here are not the vestiges of the bacteria-filled sleeve. mine'.

In fact, we also need the support of bacteria on Mars. 'For long journeys, astronauts cannot carry enough water from the earth. Scientists are currently working on developing a clever life support system for plants and microorganisms to provide food, recycling waste and purifying water. Of course, in this case, if harmful bacteria appear, the whole life support system will be damaged, even affect the health of astronauts, endangering the whole trip. travel. Whatever the consequences, microorganisms will still exist in the universe '.