Microbial astronauts: assembling microbial communities for advanced life support systems

Area of Science:

• Astrobiology
• Microbial Ecology
• Space Life Support Systems

Background:

• Human space habitation necessitates carrying Earth's microorganisms.
• Microorganisms are vital for biogeochemical processes and human life viability.
• Spacecraft environments have limited microbial species richness due to sterilization and isolation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate microbial diversity and community assembly in bioregenerative life support systems.
• To understand the challenges of maintaining functional microbial communities in space.
• To assess the stability of microbial communities against invasion by human-associated microbes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized prototype bioregenerative systems for NASA Advanced Life Support.
• Observed successional trends in microbial communities.
• Correlated microbial community diversity with stability and resistance to invasion.

Main Results:

• Observed successional trends including increased niche specialization and nonculturable organisms.
• Found that microbial community stability is correlated with diversity.
• Demonstrated that lower species richness in space can lead to functional decline and pathogen invasion risk.

Conclusions:

• Assembling stable, functional microbial communities in space using gnotobiotic approaches presents significant challenges.
• Further research is needed to define basic biological principles for space ecosystem processes.
• Maintaining microbial diversity is essential for the long-term viability of human life support in space.