The International Space Station (ISS) where two NASA astronauts were stranded for nine months is so clean it's making crews sick, a recent study suggests.
A study suggests the International Space Station's (ISS) overly sterile environment, resulting from heavy use of disinfectants, lacks microbial diversity and may be contributing to immune system dysfunction and health problems in astronauts. Researchers found human skin was the main source of microbes and cleaning chemicals were prevalent on surfaces, leading to a less diverse microbiome compared to Earth. They propose increasing microbial diversity in future space stations to better mimic Earth's environment and improve astronaut health.
