Telemycology - A novel approach to monitoring environmental microbial load in Space Station FreedomThe currently available methods for monitoring environmental microbial load call for the cultivation of microbes on laboratory media, a time- and material-consuming task that is potentially hazardous. Telemycology proposed in this communication is designed to eliminate the need for growing microbes, especially fungi, on board the spacecraft and to shift the bulk of the work-load to the ground-based Microbiology Laboratory. The system is based on the principle of trapping microbial propagules on a membrane filter, treating it with a microbe-enhancing reagent, and examining under a microscope down-linked to the central laboratory equipped with a synchronized televideo, telerobotics, and image banking system.
Document ID
19900040451
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Mishra, S. K. (Krug International Houston, TX, United States)
Brown, H. D. (Krug International Houston, TX, United States)
Taylor, R. D. (Krug International Corp. Houston, TX, United States)
Pierson, D. L. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)