While most of us are now more demanding of keeping our homes and workplaces clean, cleanliness is essential on board the International Space Station. Antibacterial measures are of great importance, as bacteria accumulate in the constantly recycled air inside the ISS. Every Saturday in space is a “cleaning day,” where surfaces are wiped and the astronauts vacuum and collect trash.
But there is a point on board the station where cleaning is a no-no. But don’t worry, it’s all for science!
The MatISS experiment or microbial aerosol tethering on innovative surfaces in the International Space Station tests five advanced materials and how well they can prevent disease-causing microorganisms from settling and growing in weightlessness. MatISS also gave insights into how biofilms accumulate on surfaces under weightless conditions.
The experiment is sponsored by the French space agency CNES and was designed in 2016. Three iterations of the experiment were used on the ISS.
The first was MatISS-1 and four sample holders were set up for six months at three different locations in the European Columbus laboratory module. This provided some basic data points for researchers as, on their return to Earth, the researchers characterized the debris on each surface and used the control material to establish a reference for the level and type of contamination.
MatISS-2 had four identical sample holders with three different types of materials installed in a single location in Columbus. The aim of this study was to better understand how contamination spreads over time through the hydrophobic (water repellent) and control surfaces. The improved Matiss-2.5 was developed to investigate how the contamination spreads – this time spatially – over the hydrophobic surfaces with structured samples. This experiment lasted a year and recently the samples were returned to Earth and are now being analyzed.
A close-up of the MatISS experiment. Image credit: ESA
The samples consist of a diverse mix of advanced materials such as self-assembling monolayers, green polymers, ceramic polymers, and water-repellent hybrid silica. The intelligent materials should prevent bacteria from adhering and growing over large areas and effectively make them easier to clean and more hygienic. The experiment hopes to find out which materials work best.
ESA says “Understanding the effectiveness and potential uses of these materials will be critical to the design of future spacecraft, especially those that will transport people in space.”
Long-term human space missions must certainly limit biocontamination of astronaut habitats.
NASA astronaut Jack Fisher is seen here with a damp cloth on the surfaces of the International Space Station’s European dome module. Image credit: ESA
Read more about the MatISS experiment here.
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