Jakarta –
If you’ve ever been suspicious of drinking water while on a plane trip, imagine the astronaut who should feel fine with the supply of drinking water in space that comes from recycling their urine.
And now, a new study published in the journal Nature npj Biofilms and Microbiomes has found that drinking water on the International Space StationISS) is full of bacterial colonies.
Specifically, the Arizona State University scientists behind the study looked at biofilms consisting of several species of bacteria. This is a fairly puzzling phenomenon on Earth, especially in the microgravity found within the ISS water system.
Quoted from Futurism, water system ISS it is designed in such a way as to improve water quality for the crew of the space mission. However, that doesn’t exclude the fact that scientists collect a lot of bacteria from the ISS’s water system for study.
The space station does have an advanced water purification system that allows it to recycle water. Without it, NASA would have to send about 10,000 pounds of water per crew into orbit every year.
However, the system is not perfect. The scientists behind the new study selected a variety of species and colonies collected and sent to Earth between 2008 and 2015.
The team looked at a number of qualities, including the ability to form mysterious biofilms as well as antibiotic resistance, and found that bacteria could pose a very real threat to astronauts, especially given that their immune systems would be weakened during space travel.
As a result, there is a lot of homework that needs to be done to determine exactly what the specific impact of bacterial colonies on ISS to health astronaut. But with basic research into the properties of these bacteria, experts at least have a better idea of what they need to look for.
Watch Videos”2 Russian Cosmonauts on the International Space Station“
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