“Although our research found several opportunistic microbes, we concluded that the ISS is a safe environment for astronauts,” said Dr. study. “We found that the microbiome of ISS surfaces is stable and that most of the microbiome is associated with human skin.” The research included two large studies, Microbial Tracking (MT)-1 and MT-2, spanning from 2015 to 2020. MT-1 was a 14-month study that examined microbial communities from eight surfaces on the ISS during over the course of three astronaut missions, while MT-2 extended MT-1 by examining the same surfaces over another 14-month period using four consecutive astronaut flights. Samples were collected with sterile swabs from resident astronauts during both studies. Remove all ads on Universe Today Join our Patreon for just $3! Get the ad-free experience of a lifetime The results of the study showed that two species of bacteria and fungi, Staphylococcus sp. and Malassezia sp., were the most characterized on the ISS. None of these organisms are harmful, and the total microbiome of the ISS surface was monopolized by associations of human skin organisms. “Overall, the composition of the ISS surface has been remarkably stable beyond a few minor changes over the course of our five-year study,” Dr Jaing said. “It is a dynamic process, just like the human body. ISS antimicrobial resistance gene profiles were also stable over time, with no differences in the range of MT-1 and MT-2 studies. This means that the ISS microbiome has no new antibiotic resistance genes, which is safer for astronauts. While this study was conducted using samples returned to Earth from the ISS, NASA can observe microbes on the ISS in real time and is also considering real-time microbial monitoring on future spacecraft. The football field-sized ISS is currently home to seven astronauts from the United States, Russia and Japan, which is the maximum number of astronauts the ISS can host for long periods of time. Since the launch of the first module of the ISS in 1998, 263 astronauts from 20 countries have visited the ISS, as of October 2022. While the United States and Russia account for the bulk of these numbers, people have also spent time on the ISS from Japan, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Great Britain, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and United Arab Emirates. As always, keep doing science and keep looking up! Featured image: NASA astronaut Jack Fisher, who lived on the ISS from May to September 2017, is seen collecting samples for the study by cleaning the surfaces of the ISS. (Credit: NASA)
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