Spacecraft are built inside tightly controlled “cleanrooms” designed to keep out dust and microbes that could contaminate missions. However, scientists have now identified 26 previously unknown species of bacteria inside Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, showing that even the most sterile environments are not completely free of life.
Nasa’s cleanrooms have “stringent controls such as regulated airflow, temperature management and rigorous cleaning,” said a study published in the journal Microbiome. But these previously unidentified bacteria “resist cleaning chemicals and cling to sterile surfaces by producing sticky films,” said Nature. Many also have “genes that protect their DNA from radiation damage, while some have genes that help control cell repair under oxidative stress.”
As a result, these “resilient microorganisms” pose “potential risks for space missions,” said Microbiome. One of the bacteria, Tersicoccus phoenicis, is capable of playing dead to survive stressors. While dormant, it “can’t be detected by the usual method of swabbing surfaces,” said Scientific American. That means it could “theoretically sneak aboard spacecraft that are supposed to be free of Earth contaminants.”
Any microbe “capable of slipping through standard cleanroom controls could also evade the planetary-protection safeguards meant to prevent Earth life from contaminating other worlds,” said Live Science. Still, these findings “not only raise important considerations for planetary protection but also open the door for biotechnological innovation,” said study author Junia Schultz. However you look at it, “identifying these unusually hardy organisms and studying their survival strategies matters,” said Live Science. | 
