Health, hygiene, and microbial monitoring during long-duration space simulations

The significance of the human-microbe relationship is amplified in long duration space exploration (LDSE), where isolated and confined microbial environments degenerate space habitat integrity, compromise planetary protection goals, and have largely unknown and potentially deleterious effects on astronaut health. While environmental surveillance is assumed to be a key component of future deep space missions, the optimal modality, frequency, and location of such surveillance is not yet defined. In order to investigate strategies of microbial surveillance, a series of experiments, conducted at a long-duration, isolated and confined (ICE) Mars simulation, furthered our understanding of the microbiome sampling challenges presented by food, environment, and crewmembers. Descriptive analyses revealed key considerations for microbial monitoring in future long duration space missions, including special considerations for surface sanitation, previously undocumented potential sources of food-borne toxicity, and a novel outlook on the dynamic human microbiome in isolation.