Researchers brought bacteria into space to see how they would behave in hopes of protecting astronauts from disease and even fighting pathogens on Earth.
Bacteria in space behave much differently than they do on Earth, the experiment will help protect astronauts from rogue bacteria in the future.
Samples of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginos, were sent into space on 2010 and 2011 shuttle missions to be cultured in artificial urine, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute press release reported.
The bacteria (called biofilms) formed a "column-and-canopy" structure which has never been seen on Earth. The biofilms were thicker than Earth-bound specimen, they also had more live cells and biomass.
"The unique appearance and structure of the P. aeruginosa biofilms formed in microgravity suggests that nature is capable of adapting to non-terrestrial environments in ways that deserve further studies, including studies exploring long-term growth and adaptation to a low-gravity environment," Cynthia Collins, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer and a leader of the study, said.
"Before we start sending astronauts to Mars or embarking on other long-term spaceflight missions, we need to be as certain as possible that we have eliminated or significantly reduced the risk that biofilms pose to the human crew and their equipment," she said.
Biofilms are found naturally in the human body and are usually harmless, but some have been known to cause disease.
"Biofilms were rampant on the Mir space station and continue to be a challenge on the International Space Station, but we still don't really know what role gravity plays in their growth and development,", Collins said.
The benefits from the research could extend past astronaut health; the study could help fight disease on Earth too.
The observations showed the effects of gravity, fluid dynamics, and nutrient on biofilms, which could give more insight on how to control them both on Earth and in space.
The researchers hope to one day find innovative ways to control the spread of disease in hospitals.
"The opportunity to conduct microbiology research aboard spacecraft is valuable and unique," Macarena Parra, the study's payload science adviser at NASA's Ames Research Center, said. "Aboard free-flying satellites, or using laboratory facilities aboard the ISS, allows researchers to validate ground-based experiments and discover results that can only be observed in space."
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