NASA 'cleanrooms' found crawling with 26 new bacterial species

USA Today

19-05-2025

NASA 'cleanrooms' found crawling with 26 new bacterial species
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NASA's Space Launch System, Orion capsule face budget uncertainty
A budget proposal from the White House could reduce NASA's budget by about $6 billion, or 25%.
Many of these species possess genes that make them resistant to decontamination and radiation, potentially posing a risk of interplanetary contamination.
These "extremophile" microorganisms could lead to new biotechnologies in fields like medicine and food preservation.
Scientists believe studying these extremophiles could revolutionize life sciences, bioengineering, and space exploration.
Wait, aren't "clean" rooms supposed to be, well, "clean" of germs and other pesky microscopic particles?
Maybe not: A new study reports 26 new bacterial species were found growing inside cleanrooms associated with NASA space missions. Specifically, scientists looked in the cleanrooms used to prepare the Phoenix Mars lander for its August 2007 launch.
In the study, scientists analyzed microorganisms growing in the NASA cleanrooms, and discovered many of the new species possessed genes that made them resilient to decontamination and radiation.
"We are unraveling the mysteries of microbes that withstand the extreme conditions of space – organisms with the potential to revolutionize the life sciences, bioengineering, and interplanetary exploration," said Kasthuri Venkateswaran, retired senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a lead author of the study, in a statement.
What is a cleanroom?
Spacecraft are assembled in cleanrooms, which are highly specialized facilities engineered to maintain exceptionally low levels of dust and microorganisms.
Cleanrooms are key as spacecraft are built and tested: Even tiny particles or contamination can impact delicate instruments and sensitive components.
These controlled environments are extreme in their own right, with tightly regulated airflow, temperature and humidity that inhibit microbial survival. However, some microorganisms – known as "extremophiles" – thrive in such environments.
'Extremophiles' can survive in space
"Our study aimed to understand the risk of extremophiles being transferred in space missions and to identify which microorganisms might survive the harsh conditions of space," said study team member Alexandre Rosado from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.
"This effort is pivotal for monitoring the risk of microbial contamination and safeguarding against unintentional colonization of exploring planets," he added.
New biotechnologies possible
These previously unknown and newly described species carry genetic traits associated with resilience to extreme environments such as those found in space.
Some of the discovered genes were associated with DNA repair, the detoxification of harmful molecules and improved metabolism, all of which increased the species' survivability.
Scientists said these genes could lead to new biotechnologies that benefit food preservation and medicine. "These findings not only raise important considerations for planetary protection but also open the door for biotechnological innovation," said Junia Schultz, a postdoctoral fellow at KAUST, who was the first author of the study.
"Space travel provides an opportunity to study microorganisms that possess relevant stress-resistance genes," Schultz added. "The genes identified in these newly discovered bacterial species could be engineered for applications in medicine, food preservation, and other industries."
The study was published May 12 in the journal Microbiome.