IRMA Project: Developing systems for disease-causing bacteria determination on space stations

Dueñas-Parapar D.A.; Ubidia-Incio R.A.; Salazar-Macalupu M.S.; Vidal-Castro E.S.; Muñoz-Diaz M.N.; Loayza-Pretel G.L.D.; Rojas-Vales N.C.; Caballa-Huaman L.N.; Moya-Salazar J. · Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC (2024) · DOI: 10.52202/078356-0048

Resumen

In 2019, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) accepted a project called IRMA (Instrument for Recording Microbial Activity, by its acronym) as part of the UNOOSA-CMSA cooperation program on the utilization of Chinese Space Station. The IRMA project is an international initiative led by Peruvian institutions that seeks to study the development of disease-causing bacteria in space by evaluating their antibiotic resistance and growth in microgravity. This project will generate a system capable of determining the type of bacteria and the minimum inhibitory concentration to eradicate them, which is very useful in a space station where the crew is at risk of contracting a disease and does not have the equipment and amenities of a hospital laboratory. The systems involving IRMA are: High Resolution Imaging System (HRIS), Bacterial Life Support System (BLSS), Bacterial Growth Classification Software (BGCS), and Payload Astronaut Interface (PAI), which are equipped with electronic compounds and software. All this allows the correct development of bacteria and their analysis. The objective of this presentation is to introduce the systems and protocols developed in the IRMA project for determining pathogenic bacteria in the Chinese Space Station. These kinds of technologies bring new insights into the field of space medicine and its implications for the limits of long-term manned missions. Copyright

Instituciones: Universidad Ricardo Palma; Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería; Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal; Universidad Privada del Norte; Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología