jaxa's microbiological research on iss/jem from the environmental and biomedical aspects
- Paper number
IAC-08.A1.7.-A2.7.4
- Author
Dr. Takashi Yamazaki, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Ryutaro Izumi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Koichi Makimura, Teikyo University, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Masao Nasu, Osaka University, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Noriaki Ishioka, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Chiaki Mukai, JAXA, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Masayuki Ohmori, Saitama University, Japan
- Year
2008
- Abstract
It is really important to promote microbiological research essential for long term manned space activities under microgravity and completely closed environment in space crafts in relation to long-duration space expeditions on the International Space Station, or to the moon and Mars in future. Environmental monitoring data of the space shuttle, the Mir and the ISS have already showed that generally microorganisms isolated from air and on inner surfaces of space crafts are largely of human origin. Human normal flora (microbiota) of bacteria and fungi can cause serious life-threatening diseases when human immune system is compromised and disease incidence of flight crew members is expected to increase as duration of expedition will be elongated. The environment of habitable pressurized modules on the ISS on board is properly controlled to be comfortable for astronauts, and also for saprophytic microorganism. Therefore, it is highly possible that not only equipments on ISS but also commodities of life and astronauts themselves are exposed to a high concentration of microbes, especially fungal spores in the completely closed space station. The Japanese Experiment Module JEM (named “KIBO”, means HOPE), which has been developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as part of the ISS program is scheduled to be launched by three Space Shuttle missions, and the habitable JEM Pressurized Section (the both JEM-Experiment Logistics Module and Experiment Module) will be attached to the ISS and start its operation in 2008. It is an invaluable opportunity to begin to survey the transition of microbial flora in JEM from “brand-new” to “well-used” condition by time course. So we are preparing the on board analyzing systems for environmental microbial flora in air and on inner surfaces of ISS/JEM and normal flora of the astronauts themselves. In this congress, we introduce the current status and future plan on microbiological research on ISS/JEM to protect flight crew members and flight hardware from potentially hazardous microorganisms from the environmental and biomedical aspects of JAXA and also the methods and procedures using culture-independent detection and differentiation systems for monitoring of environmental microorganisms from air, surfaces and waters and normal flora of astronauts from skin, mucosal membrane, feces and so on.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A1.7.-A2.7.4.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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