3Takashi YamazakiProfessor, Department of Interdisciplinary Space Sciences, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA. He is the principal investigator for the Micro Monitor Project. He became an associate senior researcher at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA in 2005, an associate professor at the General Medical Education and Research Center, Teikyo University. He returned to JAXA in April 2024.Development of the on-board monitoring system for microorganisms in potable water on manned spacecraftsThe potable (drinking) water on the ISS is currently tested regularly using the cultivation method. But because the potable water samples have to be transported back to Earth for testing, detection takes a long time. This research seeks to propose a real-time, highly accurate microbial control method, based on microbial particle counting technology, which identifies microbe counts and monitors changes in spacecraft potable water. The results confirmed its potential use as a new potable water management technology for extended manned space exploration missions.Inside the StationResearch and experiments making use of the unique environment in space are currently underway across a wide range of fields. This photo shows astronaut Koichi Wakata collecting a sample of water from the water dispenser inside the USOS* module of the ISS.It’s been 64 years since humans first ventured into space. Now, countless satellites both large and small orbit the Earth, including a few manned satellites. Among the most famous manned satellites is the International Space Station (ISS), a huge experimental facility constructed approximately 400 km above the Earth. Begun in 1998 and completed in 2011, the construc-tion of the ISS involved the joint efforts of 15 countries, including the United States, Russia, and various European nations, as well as Japan. The ISS provides a special environment for scientific experiments and research free of the effects of gravity. These studies are contributing to the development of space exploration as well as advancing research on the natural sciences on planet Earth. Future space programs led by NASA (the National Aero-nautics and Space Administration) include plans for a manned base, named Gateway, which will orbit the Moon. Beyond that, work is underway on plans to build a lunar base—even a base on Mars.Kibo, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), was installed on the ISS in 2008. Various research projects involving Kibo have proceeded since then. One is the Micro Monitor (Devel-opment of the on-board monitoring system for microorganisms in potable water on manned spacecrafts) project, overseen by Professor Takashi Yamazaki and his team at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).“In the mid-2000s, the Space Microbiology Research Work-ing Group was founded as part of the JAXA Committee for Space Environment Utilization Science,” explains Professor Yamazaki. “In one session, a question arose, why not monitor microbes in spacecraft environments, something like what NASA and Russia were already doing? When plans were being finalized for Japan to launch an experiment module, we proposed that we would officially monitor the microbes from immediately after the launch. After that, this research was initiated as part of environ-mental monitoring.”Safe potable water, of course, is essential for the astronauts who live on the ISS. Water is extremely valuable on the space station—so much so that even urine, not to mention sweat and condensation from the air conditioning, is filtered and recycled for reuse.Unfortunately, the only way to assess water quality on the space station has been to take samples and return them to a research facility on Earth for testing. Professor Yamazaki and his team began discussing the need to develop a method that would allow astronauts to inspect the water quality on site while in orbit. If the space station is flying in low Earth orbit, bringing the water back to Earth is a viable option. But this wouldn’t be a realistic option for satellites in lunar orbit or on a base on the Moon, much less a base on Mars. In addition, current inspection methods take several days to produce the required results. That means the results only indicate the quality of water a few weeks ago, not the water the astronauts are currently drinking.Professor Yamazaki and Rion first met in the summer of 2019. One of Rion’s technologies is a microbial particle counting technology for measuring microbe counts in water. Convention-ally, the culture method was used to examine bacteria in water, in which a sample of the water is collected, after which bacteria is cultured in a Petri dish over several days to allow visual counts of colonies. In contrast, Rion’s technology allows the direct count of the microbial particles present in water to produce results instantaneously. Due to this great advantage, Rion’s microbial particle counting technology has been used mainly by the phar-maceutical and food industries, where clean water is a requisite. And this was the technology that came to play a central role in their research project.The International Space Station,built jointly by 15 countriesSafe potable water, essential both on Earth and in space© JAXA* USOS (US Orbital Segment)The USOS, one of the two segments of the ISS, was constructed and being operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-istration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The other one is the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS).© JAXA/NASA
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