146

The ISS is 'too clean', and it could be making astronauts sick (www.abc.net.au)

submitted 5 months ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/space@lemmy.world

41 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary from elsewhere

The International Space Station (|SS) has low microbial diversity, which could lead to astronaut health issues, according to a study published in Cell.

Researchers found that the microbial communities resemble those found in sanitized environments like hospitals rather than natural settings.

Co-senior study author Pieter Dorrestein explains that increasing microbial exposure could improve astronaut health during long-term space travel.

The study suggests incorporating natural elements, like soil, into the ISS to enhance microbial diversity and astronaut well-being.

The study in question:

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00108-4

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Yeah. It’s not a very romantic truth. But we’re dealing with finite budgets, and we need to set aside some romanticism for practicality.

[-] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

I'm not getting the practicality of sending probes if the eventual goal is to send humans. I don't get removing the romanticism if you want people to work towards it. I don't get the point about giving space to commercial consumerism without giving a chance to everything else.

[-] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Because we’re now at a technological level where we can begin the push for space-based manufacturing, which is the key to unlocking the solar system for our species. Our biggest limitation right now is we have to launch every single bolt up out of the gravity well.

If we can dismantle the military industrial complex, and reappropriate the budget for the space program, there’s no need to choose. But if we’re going to continue to work with these limited budgets, I think it’s more beneficial to put human space flight on hold for this.

[-] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

Space manufacturing is not a feasible thing anytime soon. It would require input, which means either sending raw materials which is wasteful or being able to like grab asteroids out of orbit which is not a stage we're at.

[-] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

We absolutely need to be grabbing asteroids. We’re not there yet because we’re not devoting enough resources to it.

this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2025

146 points (100.0% liked)

[Dormant] moved to !space@mander.xyz

10722 readers

1 users here now

This community is dormant, please find us at !space@mander.xyz

You can find the original sidebar contents below:

Rules

Be respectful and inclusive.
No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
Engage in constructive discussions.
Share relevant content.
Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
Use appropriate language and tone.
Report violations.
Foster a continuous learning environment.

Picture of the Day

The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula

Related Communities

🔭 Science

🚀 Engineering

🌌 Art and Photography