Background: one of the major technical challenges in planetary protection for the europa lander and other NASA deep space missions is in reducing the bioburden of terrestrial microorganisms associated…

This federal contract award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Auburn University is focused on addressing the challenge of reducing bioburden associated with materials used in planetary protection for the Europa Lander mission and other deep space missions. The specific objectives are to: 1) determine the reduction in Bacillus spore viability from adhesive formulations applied to solid rocket motor (SRM) insulation materials, 2) evaluate the bioburden of other Europa Lander materials like liners, O-rings, and lubricants, and 3) conduct microbial analyses of these materials. This $418,409 grant aims to identify ideal combinations of additives, adhesives, polymers, and insulation materials that can effectively mitigate microbial contamination to support the Europa Lander mission and potentially other deep space programs. The award does not have a set-aside designation. As a prominent research university, Auburn has significant experience supporting NASA and other federal agencies through a wide range of contract and grant awards in fields like aerospace, materials science, and environmental research.

Background: one of the major technical challenges in planetary protection for the europa lander and other NASA deep space missions is in reducing the bioburden of terrestrial microorganisms associated with solid rocket motor (SRM) insulation and other materials that may have microbial contaminants. An additional challenge is in the identification of appropriate SRM insulation materials that meet the thermal, mechanical, and rheological specifications for europa lander and other missions. In previous experiments, we have identified adhesives that reduce bacillus spore viability that are commonly used in SRM insulation assembly. In this proposal we will combine our collective expertise in microbiology and material engineering to identify the ideal combinations of additives, adhesives, polymers and insulation materials for use in the europa lander mission that could also be applicable to other deep-space missions. Specific objectives: 1) determine the reduction in bacillus species spore viability in response to adhesive formulations applied to SRM candidate insulation materials. These studies will include multiple adhesive formulations already in use for spacecraft assembly, and evaluate the effects of spore inoculum, time of exposure and insulation composition on the degree of bioburden reduction that can be achieved. We will conduct these assays using standard NASA protocols, with four different bacillus species isolated from spacecraft assembly environments, and will use cryogrinding to process insulation materials prior to quantitative determination of spore viability on laboratory media. 2) evaluate bioburden associated with europa lander materials. In addition to SRM insulation, there are other materials that must be evaluated for their inherent bioburden. In consultation with scientists at marshall space flight center and the jet propulsion laboratories, other materials are expected to be in need of evaluation for their associated bioburden, in particular liners, o rings and lubricants. Using the same methodologies applied to SRM insulation, the bioburden associated with each of these materials will be quantitatively determined in replicate samples. 3) conduct culture-based and metagenomic analyses of the microbiota associated with materials of particular concern for europa lander planetary protection. Monitoring bacillus species spore viability is a critical indicator of bioburden reduction, but other organisms may be associated with europa lander materials. We will therefore use a combination of methods that includes analysis of microbial cultures obtained from previous objectives and culture-independent investigation of 16S rrna gene PCR amplicons that are typical of microbiome studies, as well as a shotgun metagenomic approach that will cover a greater breadth of the phylogenetic diversity present in insulation materials. Appropriateness of this research for this program element: this research focuses on one of the major challenges in planetary protection for the europa lander mission, in preventing forward contamination due to microorganisms associated with SRM insulation and other europa lander materials.