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ISS Expedition 08 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 08 from 10/2003-04/2004. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

Microbial Observatory (ISS-MO): Antimicrobial resistance genes

The environmental samples were collected with the polyester wipes from eight different locations in the International Space Station (ISS) during two consecutive sampling sessions (three months apart) within the ISS Microbial Observatory Experiment. DNA extracted from each of the samples was used to create amplicon libraries based on customized panel of 500 antimicrobial resistance genes followed by next-generation sequencing. This is the first study of that shows the reservoir of antimicrobial genes in the ISS. The International Space Station (ISS) as a closed built environment has its own environmental microbiome which is shaped by microgravity radiation and limited human presence. The microbial diversity associated with ISS environmental surfaces was investigated during this study. Polyester wipes and contact slides were used for sampling of eight various surface locations on the ISS at different time periods. The samples were retrieved and analyzed immediately upon the return to the Earth (via Soyuz TMA-14M or Dragon capsule from SpaceX). After surface sample collection contact slides containing nutrient media for the growth of bacteria and fungi were incubated at 25 xcb x9aC. The polyester wipes were processed to measure microbial burden (R2A Blood Agar and Potato Dextrose Agar) and recover cultivable bacteria as well as fungi. Subsequently viable microbial burden was assessed using Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods after propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. The 16S-tag and metagenome analyses were used to elucidate viable microbial diversity. The cultivable bacterial population yield from the polyester wipes was very high (5 to 7-logs) when compared with the contact slides (102 to 103 CFU/m2). The PMA-qPCR analysis showed considerable variation of viable bacterial population (105 to 109 16S rDNA gene copies/m2) among locations sampled. Unlike contact slides polyester wipes cover much larger sample surface (~1 m2) and produce much more reliable results of the microbial diversity of the ISS covering both cultivable and non-cultivable species. The cultivable total and viable microbial diversity was determined utilizing state-of-the art molecular techniques. The implementation of the PMA assay before DNA extraction allowed distinguishing viable microorganisms which is crucial for determining their role to the crew health the ISS maintenance and the general knowledge of the closed environmentally controlled built systems.

Part two: ISS Enterobacteriales

The microbial tracking-1 (MT-1) investigation allowed the characterization of the microbial population aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Microbial Observatory (ISS-MO): Indoor microbiome study of the International Space Station surfaces

Presented here is the environmental microbiome study of the International Space Station surfaces. The environmental samples were collected with the polyester wipes from eight different locations in the ISS during two consecutive sampling sessions (three months apart). The specific objective was to unveil the pool of genes for each location during two separate sessions to learn of functional and metabolic diversity of microorganisms in the ISS. The International Space Station (ISS) as a closed built environment has its own environmental microbiome which is shaped by microgravity, radiation, and limited human presence. The microbial diversity associated with ISS environmental surfaces was investigated during this study. Polyester wipes and contact slides were used for sampling of eight various surface locations on the ISS at different time periods. The samples were retrieved and analyzed immediately upon the return to the Earth (via Soyuz TMA-14M or Dragon capsule from SpaceX). After surface sample collection, contact slides containing nutrient media for the growth of bacteria and fungi were incubated at 25C. The polyester wipes were processed to measure microbial burden (R2A, Blood Agar, and Potato Dextrose Agar) and recover cultivable bacteria as well as fungi. Subsequently, viable microbial burden was assessed using Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) assay, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods after propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. The 16S-tag and metagenome analyses were used to elucidate viable microbial diversity. The cultivable bacterial population yield from the polyester wipes was very high (5 to 7-logs) when compared with the contact slides (10^2 to 10^3 CFU/m2). The PMA-qPCR analysis showed considerable variation of viable bacterial population (10^5 to 10^9 16S rDNA gene copies/m2) among locations sampled. Unlike contact slides, polyester wipes cover much larger sample surface (~1 m2) and produce much more reliable results of the microbial diversity of the ISS covering both cultivable and non-cultivable species. The cultivable, total, and viable microbial diversity was determined utilizing state-of-the art molecular techniques. The implementation of the PMA assay before DNA extraction allowed distinguishing viable microorganisms, which is crucial for determining their role to the crew health, the ISS maintenance and the general knowledge of the closed environmentally controlled built systems.

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VG1/VG2 SR ISS RING PROFILES V1.0

This data set contains derived radial profiles from the finest- resolution Voyager images of Saturn's rings.

Quantitative evaluation of bioaerosols in different particle size fractions collected on the International Space Station (ISS)

Exposure to bioaerosols can negatively impact human health. On the International Space Station (ISS) this exposure differs to that on Earth due to lack of gravitational settling and differing microbial sources. It is unknown how microbes are influenced by different particle size fractions in microgravity. The goal of this study is to identify the microbial communities on different particle size fractions taken from the ISS.

ISS Expedition 01 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 01 from 10/2000-03/2001. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

Effect of spaceflight on liver from mice flown on the ISS for 33 days: transcriptional analysis

The objective of the Rodent Research-9 (RR-9) mission was to use mice to understand the molecular basis of phenomena that affect astronauts during long-duration spaceflight, particularly visual impairment and joint tissue degradation. To this end, a flight group (FLT) of 10 week-old male C57BL/6J mice were launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on 8/14/2017 and housed in Rodent Habitats on the ISS for 33 days before being returned alive to Earth. After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the animals were transported to Loma Linda University (LLU) for testing, euthanasia and dissection on 9/18/2018. A Basal Control (BSL) was housed in standard cages at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and euthanized one day after launch of the FLT animals (8/15/2017). Ground Control (GC) and Vivarium Control (VIV) studies were planned to commence at KSC approximately one-week after the conclusion of the flight experiments. However, all the GC and VIV mouse studies at KSC had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Irma and potential adverse effects on the animal housing facility. The GC and VIV studies were therefore rescheduled and begun in May, 2018. The GC was euthanized and dissected 6/18/2018 - 6/20/2018, while the VIV was euthanized and dissected 6/22/2018 - 6/23/2018. Because this resulted in a different cohort of mice being used for the GC and VIV controls as compared to the flight (FLT) and basal (BSL) groups, two cohort controls were included in the study. The first, Cohort Control 1 (CC_C1), was from the same cohort as the FLT and BSL animals, and was sacrificed and dissected 4 days after the FLT group (9/22/2017). The second, Cohort Control 2 (CC_C2), was from the same cohort as the GC and VIV animals, and was sacrificed and dissected 2-8 days after the GC and VIV groups, (6/24/2018 - 6/26/2018). The CC_C1 and CC_C2 groups were housed in standard cages and fed standard chow in contrast to all other groups which received Rodent Foodbars. To clarify the connections between treatment groups and animal cohorts, the following group abbreviations are used in the sample metadata: Flight (FLT_C1); Basal (BSL_C1); Ground Control (GC_C2); Vivarium Control (VIV_C2), Cohort Control 1 (CC_C1); Cohort Control 2 (CC_C2). Upon dissection, livers were preserved in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 C before RNA was extracted, libraries generated (stranded, ribodepleted) and sequenced (target 60 M clusters at PE 150 bp).

ISS Expedition 05 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 05 from 06/2002-12/2002. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

Predicting how varying moisture conditions impact the microbiome of dust collected from the International Space Station (ISS)

On Earth, people spend 90% of their time indoors where dust and moisture can facilitate rapid microbial growth, especially fungi. The International Space Station is a specialized closed environment that contains own unique indoor microbiome. Elevated moisture such as from a temporary ventilation system malfunction may lead to unintended microbial growth indoors, which is associated with negative health outcomes and degradation of essential built environment materials. We need to develop a predictive approach for modeling microbial growth to understand when it may occur in these critical indoor spaces. Here we demonstrate that exposure to even fluctuating elevated relative humidity above 80% can lead to rapid microbial growth and community composition changes in dust from spacecraft. We were able to model fungal growth in space station dust using the time-of-wetness framework with activation and deactivation limited growth occurring at 85% and 100% relative humidity conditions, respectively. Alpha and beta diversity of fungi was altered with both significantly decreasing as relative humidity and time elevated increased. Our results demonstrate that we can use moisture conditions to develop predictive models for fungal growth and composition. Understanding microbial growth in spacecraft can protect astronaut health, spacecraft integrity, and promote planetary protection as human activity increases in low-Earth orbit, the moon, Mars, and beyond.

ISS Expedition 10 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 10 from 10/2004-04/2005. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

ISS Expedition 06 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 06 from 11/2002-05/2003. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

ISS Expedition 42 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 42 from 09/2014-03/2015. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

Analysis of dust samples from the Russian part of the ISS

Our study focuses on the hardiest microorganisms inhabiting the ISS in order to assess their diversity and capabilities to resist certain stresses. We specifically selected dust samples from the Russian modules that were obtained 8-10 years ago and stored since then under sealed conditions on Earth. Targeting long-time survivors and spore-forming microorganisms we assessed consequently the cultivable microbial community of these samples in order to obtain model microbial strains that could help to analyze specific adaptation towards environmental stresses such as desiccation and lack of nutrients. In this study we analyzed these microorganisms with respect to their resistance towards thermal stress and exposure to clinically relevant antibiotics. In addition we assessed the bacterial and archaeal community via molecular methods (NGS sequencing) and compared our new data with the previously derived information from the ISS microbiome.

ISS Expedition 02 Press Kit

Press kit for ISS mission Expedition 02 from 03/2001-08/2001. Press kits contain information about each mission overview, crew, mission timeline, benefits, and media contact information.

Microbial Observatory (ISS-MO): Microbial diversity

The environmental microbiome study was designed to decipher microbial diversity of the International Space Station surfaces in terms of spatial and temporal distributions using 16S and ITS iTag Illumina sequencing. We hypothesized that the microbial population of environmental surfaces changes in time due to astronauts' activity and might be location specific. The environmental samples were collected with the polyester wipes from eight different locations in the ISS during two consecutive sampling sessions (three months apart). The specific objective was to unveil the viable microbial diversity of each location during two separate sessions in terms of abundance and richness of the communities. The International Space Station (ISS) as a closed built environment has its own environmental microbiome which is shaped by microgravity, radiation, and limited human presence. The microbial diversity associated with ISS environmental surfaces was investigated during this study. Polyester wipes and contact slides were used for sampling of eight various surface locations on the ISS at different time periods. The samples were retrieved and analyzed immediately upon the return to the Earth (via Soyuz TMA-14M or Dragon capsule from SpaceX). After surface sample collection, contact slides containing nutrient media for the growth of bacteria and fungi were incubated at 25C. The polyester wipes were processed to measure microbial burden (R2A, Blood Agar, and Potato Dextrose Agar) and recover cultivable bacteria as well as fungi. Subsequently, viable microbial burden was assessed using Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) assay, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods after propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. The 16S-tag and metagenome analyses were used to elucidate viable microbial diversity. The cultivable bacterial population yield from the polyester wipes was very high (5 to 7-logs) when compared with the contact slides (102 to 103 CFU/m2). The PMA-qPCR analysis showed considerable variation of viable bacterial population (105 to 109 16S rDNA gene copies/m2) among locations sampled. Unlike contact slides, polyester wipes cover much larger sample surface (~1 m2) and produce much more reliable results of the microbial diversity of the ISS covering both cultivable and non-cultivable species. The cultivable, total, and viable microbial diversity was determined utilizing state-of-the art molecular techniques. The implementation of the PMA assay before DNA extraction allowed distinguishing viable microorganisms, which is crucial for determining their role to the crew health, the ISS maintenance and the general knowledge of the closed environmentally controlled built systems.

ISS Enterobacteriales Genomes

The microbial tracking-1 (MT-1) investigation allowed the characterization of the microbial population aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Microbial Observatory (ISS-MO): Study of BSL-2 bacterial isolates from the International Space Station

In an on-going Microbial Observatory experimental investigation on the International Space Station (ISS) multiple bacterial isolates of Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) were isolated and identified. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern was tested in these BSL-2 isolates for the following antibiotics: cefazolin ciprofloxacin cefoxitin erythromycin gentamycin oxacillin penicillin rifampin tobramycin and many of the BSL-2 isolates showed multiple drug resistance. Among these isolates 21 strains were chosen for whole genome sequencing (WGS) for a possible lead to develop appropriate countermeasures. In addition the genomic data would enable to determine the influence of microgravity on the pathogenicity and virulence in the BSL-2 microorganisms.

Microbial Observatory (ISS-MO): Draft Genome Sequence of two Aspergillus fumigatus Strains Isolated from the International Space Station

Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprophytic, filamentous fungus that is ubiquitous outdoors (soil, decaying vegetation) and indoors (hospitals, simulated closed habitats, etc.). A. fumigatus can adapt to various environmental conditions and form airborne conidia that are the inoculum for a variety of diseases (e.g. non- and invasive pulmonary infections, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, etc.) in immunocompromised hosts. In an on-going Microbial Observatory Experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) molecular phylogeny of several fungal isolates were characterized. Two strains, ISSF 21 and IF1SW-F4, were isolated from the HEPA filter and the surface of the Cupola of the ISS, respectively. Using primers targeting the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and 2, both isolates were identified as A. fumigatus. The whole genome sequence analysis of ISSF 21 revealed increased number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) when compared to the reference A. fumigatus 293. Knowing that A. fumigatus is an opportunistic pathogen and microgravity highly influences the antibiotic susceptibility and pathogenicity of microorganisms, we examined pathogenicity of both ISS isolates using the zebrafish larval model. The space station isolates (ISSF-021 and IF1SW-F4) were more virulent than two clinical strains (Af293 and CEA10) whose pathogenicity was highly characterized. Here the whole genome sequences of ISSF-021 strain are being deposited.

ISS Surfaces Bacterial Genomes from MT-2 (ISS-MOP)

Draft genomes of various bacterial phyla isolated from different locations on the International Space Station as part of the Microbial Tracking 2 mission (ISS-MOP).