Investigation of Biofilm Formation and Control for Spacecraft - An Early Literature Review

Bacterial biofilms are an important and often problematic aspect of life on earth and in space. Biofilms of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria can lead to severe and costly contamination problems that directly affect human health and long-term mission planning. Microbial contamination on board the International Space Station (ISS) continues to pose mission risks, both to crew health and hardware reliability. In order to optimize the design of future space exploration vehicles, a thorough understanding of biofilm formation and control technologies is needed to control the habitat’s microbial environment. This paper provides a literature review on microbial behavior, biofilm formation in spacecraft or simulated spacecraft environments, and the state of the art of biofilm prevention mechanisms.