Source: Pixabay
Can bacteria exist in space? Recent studies suggest they absolutely can, but identifying them in situ has been a difficult task. Until now! NASA's Space 3 Team has been able to do just that! They completed the first sample to sequence process on the space station for identification.
Why would this even be of importance? Well, identifying microbes present on on many surfaces of the space station would greatly support diagnosis of astronaut illness immediately. Additionally, this provides a basis for classification of planetary life! It also means that science is not Earthbound but can be done cosmically.
How did they do it? The experiment was broken into 2 parts; 1) collection of the microbes, 2) their amplification (essentially this is making copies of them). Petridishes were used to swab various surfaces of the space station. Then using a Microgravity Science Glove Box (MSG) after allowing the bacterial colonies to grow (1 week) the cells were transferred into small test tubes. This process has never been done before in space - real time! The DNA is isolated for sequencing. For the first time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction using in amplification) was used in space.
For those wondering what an MSG is according to the NASA website it is a large front window with built in gloves that allows science and technology experiments to be done with hazardous materials. It is a completely sealed environment so no contamination can occur. The MSG is fully connected and allows video and data downlinks and can be controlled from the ground if necessary. About 30 experiments have been carried out using the MSG.
References:
NASA/Johnson Space Center. "Genes in Space-3 successfully identifies unknown microbes in space: First-ever sample-to-sequence process entirely aboard the space station." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 December 2017.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/350.html