A research project called Vandal Voyagers Two, led by University of Idaho chemical engineering graduate student Adrienne Shea and professor Matthew Bernards, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 24 to test bacteria adhesion-resistant polymers in a microgravity environment on the International Space Station.
The compounding factors of bacterial pervasiveness in space, depression to astronaut immune systems and mechanical failures due to bacteria biofilms require extreme cleanliness aboard all spacecraft.
The previous version of the project, Vandal Voyagers One, began in 2020 with funding from NASA as part of the Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science researching bacteria resistance and sanitary sustainability. After evaluation of the first iteration, Bernards became aware of another ISS flight opportunity solicitation and wrote the proposal in 2021 that would become VV2.
At this time, Shea had just graduated with her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. Shea interviewed at UI for her graduate studies and said it was “no contest” after hearing about NASA research.
Shea attended the launch with her family. Due to delays in the launch, researchers other than Shea who flew out to Florida returned to Moscow for the first day of class. The actual launch occurred at 2:30 a.m. local time on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
“It was very surreal and bittersweet because I’ve worked on this project for four years,” Shea said. “That whole part of my Ph.D. is, it’s gone.”
The research project, “a box within a box” as Shea described it, contains three identical chambers. Two strains of bacteria common in wastewater on the ISS will be introduced to stainless steel samples coated in the nonfouling polymers.
The containment chamber is currently in refrigeration until a return date, which is expected to be in December or January, is set. Astronauts aboard the ISS will begin the 30-day testing period working backwards from the return date.
One of the main reasons for testing this technology in microgravity is its potential application for use aboard Mars missions. Presently, various mechanical components aboard the ISS have to be replaced due to bacterial biofilms adhering to the surface. The so-called star of the show, long space missions, would not have the option of part replacement like the ISS in its low earth orbit.
The chemistry done in collaboration with Kristopher Waynant, UI associate professor of synthetic organic chemistry, is something Bernards says can continue to be improved.
The bacteria adhesion-resistant polymer additionally has on-earth applications in tendon tissue engineering and water systems. After this stage, the research being conducted aboard the ISS will be complete and the team will move to upscaling, such as a methodology for coating the inside of a pipe and running mechanical testing to ensure the polymer can hold up in continuous flowing water.
During her Ph.D., Shea has become passionate about water quality and drinking water quality. This technology has the potential to protect at-risk populations on earth. Shea also said it could help reduce industrial waste by having to replace parts less often that become damaged by bacteria.
“It is very important that we continue down the application road,” Bernards said. “Science is only valuable when we help humankind.”
Joshua Reisenfeld can be reached at [email protected].