Preventing Infectious Diseases in Spacecraft and Space Habitats

Spacecraft crewmembers live and work in a closed environment that is monitored to ensure health and safety. Lessons learned from previous spaceflight missions have been incorporated into the design and development of the International Space Station (ISS). The microbial control actions on the ISS include engineering designs, such as high efficiency particulate air filtering of the air, microbial monitoring of the air, surfaces, and water, as well as remediation procedures when needed. This chapter will describe an overview of microbial risks of spaceflight focusing on measures to prevent infectious disease. The information discussed in this chapter is focused on the microbial monitoring activities in United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the ISS and experimental data obtained on USOS crewmembers.