Will New NASA Technology Help the Military Detect Disease-Causing Bacteria?

Will New NASA Technology Be Able to Help Military Detect Disease-Causing Bacteria?
New Microscope-Based Technology Quickly Detects Microbial Life on Spacecraft, Has Potential to Check for Decontamination of Pathogens After A Biological Attack

November 2009 Space Article-National Scene Magazine

Written by: Karen Benardello


A technology intended to quickly determine if there’s any presence of microbial life on spacecraft has been developed by Adrian Ponce, a chemist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. This method is also garnering attention, as it may also help the military test for disease-causing bacteria.

The new microscope-based method was devised by Ponce, who is also the deputy manager for JPL’s planetary science section, in an effort to quickly establish in a matter of minutes how clean a spacecraft is. Ponce was following to NASA’s practice of ensuring that spacecraft don’t hold bacteria or other micro biotic life forms from Earth that can could contaminate other planets or moons and distort scientific research.

One important indicator for cleanliness is microbes, which are bacterial endospores that can withstand extreme temperatures, ultraviolet rays and chemical treatments, Ponce said. “Bacterial endospores are the toughest form of life on Earth. Therefore, if one can show that all spores are killed, then less-resistant, disease-causing organisms will also be dead.”

NASA searches for microbial life by looking for dipicolinic acid-a major component of endospores and evidence of endospore growth. Scientists apply terbium, a chemical element used to generate the color green on television screens, to a dime-sized area on the spacecraft, and that area is then illuminated under an ultraviolet lamp. The scientists then look through a microscope to see if live endospores are present, and if there are, they will be seen as bright green spots.

The technology is so groundbreaking that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has rightfully expressed its interest in it. The federal agency is currently working on a portable instrument based on Ponce’s research that could quickly check for decontamination of pathogens after a biological attack, which can potentially save lives.

Ponce is working with the Department of Homeland Security and Advance Space Monitor to develop the instrument, which they plan to have ready for use by 2011. Hopefully the government will continue to fund the project so that NASA can continue to test for disease-causing bacteria.

While some people may not understand why the government is spending money to help keep spacecraft so clean, if the cleaning method can be applied to both living and public places, the time and cost will be worth it. With nuclear and biological threats a common concern, the government should be working to determine how to detect them before they materialize.