While most of us are now quicker about keeping our homes and workplaces clean, aboard the International Space Station, cleanliness is paramount.
Anti-bacterial measures are extremely important, as bacteria tend to build up in the regularly recirculated air within the ISS.
Every Saturday in space is a “cleaning day” where surfaces are cleaned, and the astronauts empty and collect rubbish.
But there is one place on board the station where there is no cleaning at all. But don’t worry, it’s all for science!
The MatISS test, or the Microbial Aerosol Tethering on Innovative Surfaces at the International Space Station will test five advanced materials and how well they can prevent disease-causing microorganisms from settling and growing in microgravity.
MatISS has also provided insight into how biofilms attach to a surface in microgravity conditions.
This test is supported by the French space agency CNES and was established in 2016. Three versions of the test were used on the ISS.
The first was MatISS-1, and they had four sample holders set up for six months in three different locations in a European Columbus laboratory model.
This gave researchers some baseline data points, because when they were returned to Earth, researchers identified the deposits on each surface and used the control material to establish a reference for the level and type of pollution.
MatISS-2 consisted of four identical sample holders containing three different types of materials, placed in one location in Columbus. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of how pollution spreads over time over the hydrophobic (water-repellant) and control surfaces.
The updated Matiss-2.5 was set up to study the spread of pollution – this time spatially – over the hydrophobic surfaces using patterned samples. This experiment ran for a year and recently the samples were returned to Earth and are now being examined.
The samples are made of a diverse mix of advanced materials, such as self-assembling monolayers, green polymers, ceramic polymers, and water-repellent hybrid silica.
The neat products should stop bacteria from sticking and growing over large areas, effectively making them easier to clean and healthier. The test hopes to determine which products work best.
ESA says “an understanding of the effectiveness and potential use of these materials will be critical to future spacecraft design, especially those that transport father-to-be in space.”
Certainly long-term human space missions must limit the bio-pollution of astronaut habitats.
This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.