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Identification and Archive of Mars 2020 Spacecraft Microbial Isolates.
Wayne W Schubert1, Emily P Seto1, Akemi A Hinzer2
1Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA.
Astrobiology
|August 16, 2023
Summary
NASA
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Space Science
- Planetary Protection
Background:
- Ensuring biological cleanliness of spacecraft is critical for planetary protection.
- The Mars 2020 mission required rigorous bioassays to prevent forward contamination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the microbial populations present on hardware for the Mars 2020 mission.
- To assess the effectiveness of sterilization protocols throughout the mission's assembly phase.
Main Methods:
- Conducted 1811 bioassay sampling sessions over a 6-year period (May 2014 - July 2020).
- Preserved 4232 microbial specimens and analyzed over 3489 isolates using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
- Identified microbial genera and species based on high-confidence matches in a reference database.
Main Results:
- Identified 39 distinct microbial genera, predominantly Gram-positive bacteria.
- Most isolates belonged to spore-forming genera, with *Bacillus* being the most prevalent.
- Key species identified included *Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus horneckiae, Bacillus subtilis,* and *Bacillus safensis*.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully characterized the microbial landscape associated with the Mars 2020 spacecraft assembly.
- Findings provide crucial data for understanding and mitigating microbial contamination risks in space missions.
- The prevalence of spore-forming bacteria highlights the importance of robust sterilization techniques.
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