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Silver biocide offers a potential advantage over iodine, the current state-of-the-art in US spacecraft disinfection technology, in that silver can be safely consumed by the crew. As such, silver may reduce the overall complexity and mass of future spacecraft potable water systems, particularly those used to support long duration missions. A primary technology gap identified for the use of silver biocide is one of material compatibility. Wetted materials of construction are required to be selected such that silver ion concentrations can be maintained at biocidally effective levels.

This work describes the microbiological assessment and materials compatibility of a silver-based biocide as an alternative to iodine for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and future spacecraft potable water systems. In addition to physical and operational anti-microbial counter-measures, the prevention of microbial growth, biofilm formation, and microbiologically induced corrosion in water distribution and storage systems requires maintenance of a biologically-effective, residual biocide concentration in solution and on the wetted surfaces of the system. Because of the potential for biocide depletion in water distribution systems and the development of acquired biocide resistance within microbial populations, even sterile water with residual biocide may, over time, support the growth and/or proliferation of bacteria that pose a risk to crew health and environmental systems.

The PESTO (Photosynthetic Experiment System Testing and Operation) experiment flew in the Biomass Production System (BPS) to International Space Station (ISS) on STS-110 (Atlantis) April 8, 2002, and returned on STS-111 (Endeavour) June 19, 2002, after 73 days in space. The ground control was conducted on a two-week delay at Kennedy Space Center in a BPS unit under environmental conditions comparable to ISS. Wheat (Triticum aestivum cv Apogee) and Brassica rapa cv Astroplant were independently grown in root modules for multiple grow-outs. On-orbit harvests, root modules exchanges and primings, seeds imbibitions, and gas and water samplings occurred at periodic intervals; all were replicated in ground controls. Many operations required crew handling and open access to individual chambers, allowing the exchange of microorganisms between the crew environment and the BPS modules.

Microbiological sampling and analysis was performed on the wet waste returned from the STS-105 and STS-108 shuttle missions servicing the International Space Station (ISS). Samples were collected from a variety of materials including plate waste and associated food packaging (which composed the majority of the collected waste), sanitary waste, and loose liquid inside the waste container. Analyses of the microbial loads cultured on both selective and non-selective media and through total bacterial counts by acridine orange direct count (AODC) methods showed high microbial densities in the waste container liquid. Isolates identified included Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus spp., Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli (E.coli). Dry and ash weights were collected for each sample to determine water and organic content of the materials.

With the installation of the Water Recovery System (WRS) during mission STS-126 in 2008, the International Space Station (ISS) added the capability to recover clean water for reuse from crewmember urine and atmospheric humidity condensate, including EVA (Extravehicular Activity) wastes. The ability to collect, store and process these waste streams is required to increase potable water recovery and support the ISS crew augmentation planned for 2009. During ground testing of the Urine Processing Assembly (UPA), one of two primary component subsystems that comprise the WRS, significant fouling was repeatedly observed in stored urine pretreated with 0.56% of chromium trioxide and sulfuric acid. During initial observation, presumptive microbiological growth clogged and damaged flight-rated hardware under test as part of a risk-mitigation Flight Experiment (FE).

This report describes the design, assembly, and testing of a modified, re-circulating drip flow reactor to quantify the electrical, optical, and thermal performance of solid-state ultraviolet (UV) lighting and semi-conducting photocatalyst for potable water disinfection by advanced oxidation processes. The reactor test assembly incorporates high-output UV-A Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) with active thermal control to reject heat and generate reactive oxygen species from immobilized titanium dioxide attached to borosilicate glass in the laminar flow stream. Compared with UV-excimer and UV-mercury arc lamps, the UV-A LED system demonstrated excellent thermal stability and good electrical and optical performance.

Airborne and surface microbiological sampling was performed on the pressurized Multi-Purpose Logistics Module “Raffaello” (MPLM-6) that serviced the International Space Station (ISS) on NASA Return to Flight mission ISS LF-1/STS-114. In September of 2005, aerosol samples and surface samples were collected from the MPLM at the Kennedy Space Center prior to locker de-stow and module de-integration. Analyses of the culturable bacterial count from selective and non-selective media showed low microbial densities (>100 CFU per sq m) in the MPLM surface samples collected from air filtration ducts and other hardware surfaces. Isolates identified included diverse representatives of the gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria as well as common airborne fungi. Although aerosol bio-burden samples plated onto non-selective media were below detection limit in microbial density (<1 CFU per 500 L), bacterial and fungal populations were detected in surface swab samples.

For long-duration exploration missions where re-supply is not a viable alternative for human crews, sustainable strategies based on integrated bioprocesses and physical-chemical systems are required. Bioregenerative life support elements enabling human exploration systems require microbial communities that are physiologically diverse, functionally stable, and non virulent. Given the potential for rapid change in microbial populations through processes that may be accelerated in space (i.e., mutation, recombination, and natural selection), multi-generation experiments are required to understand the pattern and process of microbial community assembly and evolution in the space environment. In order to advance the technology readiness level of biological systems for exploration missions, these studies should enable independent examination of gravity and radiation effects in the space environment at multiple levels of organization from individual cell growth to ecosystem ecology.

This report describes proof-of-concept testing of a commercial-off-the-shelf deep ultraviolet LED for future application as a point-of-use or residual disinfection device for spacecraft potable water systems. The electro-optical performance and disinfection efficacy of a 0.5 mW 265nm UV-C LED (UVTOP, Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc., Columbia, SC) was measured in both static and flow environments against five challenge microorganisms inoculated into potable water at an initial concentration ≥ 108 cells per milliliter. The germicidal irradiation from a single UV-C LED array was sufficient to effect > 4-log kill (> 99.99%) of the challenge bacterial population in < 60 minutes contact time.

Microbial control in spacecraft is currently achieved by environmental control of humidity, forced air filtration, and the use of antimicrobials for surface application (i.e., isopropyl alcohol) and biocidal agents for treatment of potable and technical water supplies (e.g., iodine and iodide or ionic and colloidal silver). Continuous monitoring is required to ensure water quality for shuttle and ISS missions. Water distribution systems for exploration missions on the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) may benefit from a single-application surface-bound antimicrobial coating that limits microbial surface attachment. Consequently, we investigated the use of 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride, a commercially available quaternary aminosilane that bonds permanently to surfaces and inhibits microbial growth. To assess its suitability in spacecraft applications, we previously employed a test method to assess the effectiveness of aminosilane coatings on textiles.