Search

Space exploration requires reliable, rapid, significant and safe methods for preventing, monitoring and controlling biocontamination risk in water loops and humid areas in manned Space habitats. Water is one of the most important resources of our everyday life. Its microbiological control in houses, public water dispensers and special conditions (e.g.: epidemics, catastrophes, isolation) is crucial. The presented solution is automated, compact and portable, and above all "integrated" -- i.e.: composed of modules working in synergy (prevention, monitoring, control and decontamination). It was designed for space applications, thus microgravitycompatible. BIOWYSE integrated system combines biostatic/biocide action with real-time biomonitoring and almost instantaneous UV-based disinfection. It is an automated and compact system, meaning low crew time need and suitable transportability. In an automated way, the Prevention Module prevents biofilm formation and the Decontamination Module immediately counteracts water microbial load increment upon checks by the Monitoring Module. BIOWYSE has full potential for exploitation for ISS and future manned Space Exploration missions and represents an innovative tool with a wide application potential in a large number of situations on Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposition of organic materials on hardware, high tech vacuum components and spacecraft materials is a common risk in the fabrication of space industry instrumentations, which often leads to impair their functionality. Metrological procedures that meet the industrial needs are urgently required in order to detect and quantify a contamination at relevant surfaces. In this work, a direct method based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was developed providing both qualitative and quantitative information on the source of the contamination. According to Thales Alenia Space (TAS) requirements, three main categories of contaminants were selected: hydrocarbons, esters and silicones. Traceable reference materials belonged to these categories were chosen and used for calibration equipment. A practice to assist in the preparation of the calibration curves of the selected standards within the concentration range useful for practical applications is here presented. This methodology was further applied in the framework of BepiColombo program to detect organic contamination into TAS2 and 2B cleanrooms, and it resulted to meet the industrial needs for monitoring surface contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]