Shock-Impacts and Vibrational g-Forces Can Dislodge Bacillus spp. Spores from Spacecraft Surfaces.

ABSTRACT: Mars spacecraft encounter numerous g-loads that occur along the launch or landing vectors (called axial vectors) or along lateral off-axes vectors. The goal of this research was to determine if there was a threshold for dislodging spores under brute-force dynamic shock compressional impacts (i.e., henceforth called shock-impacts) or long-term vibrationally induced g-loads that might simulate spacecraft launches or landings profiles. Results indicated that spores of Bacillus subtilis 168 and B. atrophaeus ATCC 9372 were dislodged from ChemFilm-coated aluminum coupons during shock impact events of 60 g's or higher. In contrast, the threshold for dislodging B. pumilus SAFR-032 spores was approx. 80 g's. Vibrational g-loading was conducte

SUBMITTER: Schuerger AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10609464 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature