Microbes on the International Space Station
The Microbial Tracking-1 experiment has collected samples of fungi and bacteria from the International Space Station. This fungi sample was collected on May 5 and 6, 2016.
Media Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
According to Dr. Michael Roberts, deputy chief scientist for the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab, “Everywhere that humans go, microbes go with them.” This means that microbes travel to the International Space Station along with the crew. Research on microbes in space benefits those of us on Earth. Genes in SpaceAn annual national research competition for students in grades 7 through 12 to design pioneering biotechnology experiments that are conducted by astronauts on the space station. The program is funded by Boeing and miniPCR bio and supported by the ISS National Laboratory® and New England BioLabs. offers an opportunity to design these types of investigations with the possibility of launching to space!