By Manuel Sánchez Castro,
The experiment aims to test for the first time the effectiveness of aerosolized low concentration (7.9%) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a disinfectant in microgravity conditions, specifically on surfaces. The experiment investigates the feasibility of using aerosolized H2O2 in microgravity, and whether the disinfecting properties of aerosolized H2O2 against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and spores are the same in microgravity as on Earth. The study will use the non-toxic and non-infectious Biosurf biological indicators that consist of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spore populations immobilized on stainless steel plates. The indicators will be used to test the efficacy of H2O2’s disinfecting properties in microgravity by measuring the spore inactivation upon aerosolized H2O2 exposure. The experiment also examines the dynamics and dispersion of aerosolized H2O2 in microgravity by observing the color change of paper H2O2 chemical indicators placed throughout the glovebox-contained experimental set-up.