A discipline of six multitude who spent 520 day in a mock Mars simulation on Earth has found that there might be a negative decrease in microbial animation on a mission to Mars .
Publishing their findings in the journalMicrobiome , researchers studied participants in theMars500 projection , which saw six valet confined to a mock - up spacecraft from June 3 , 2010 , to November 5 , 2011 , in Moscow .
During the course of the mission , the researchers plant that microbic diversity lessen significantly , meaning there were fewer species of bacteria present . High microbic diversity is significant for wellness , so there may be a wellness risk affiliate with long - duration mission to Mars .
“ In add-on to potential wellness risk for the gang , some of these micro-organism could have a negative impact on spacecraft , as they grow on and might damage spacecraft textile , ” Dr Petra Schwendner , jibe generator from the University of Edinburgh , said in astatement .
“ To ensure the system ' stability , countermeasures may be required to annul developing of highly immune , adapted microorganisms , and a complete red of microbial diversity . ”
During the study , 360 microbial samples were taken from 20 locations in the habitat at 18 unlike points of the mission . The crew never left the zona during the missionary post and followed a strict diet and schedule , which included cleaning and conducting experiments .
The ground for the drop in microbic diversity is n’t clear , but it may be due to repeated cleaning . sure regions of the home ground were teeming with microbe , like the outside Earth’s surface of the privy , suggesting some surfaces should be handle with antimicrobic materials .
The most common microbe found go to theBacillusandStaphylococcusspecies , which are consort with humans , suggesting they were primarily spread by the men .
Staphylococcus , in finicky , is a common cause of skin infections , a trouble when astronauts are jillion of miles off from Earth . It was possibly transported around the habitat by the “ Marstronauts ” shedding flake of peel .
Overall though , it was the decrease in variety that posed the biggest job . Before we go to Mars , discovering everything that could affect thehealth of astronautswill be all-important .
