In 1865 HG Wells Imagined we could travel to the moon shot from a large gun, predictions like his would pave the way for the modern space program.
Early efforts to understand how life behaves in space included the launch of biosatelites such as this one.
Science fiction predicted many of the problems of long term space travel.
Even as early as the Apollo missions scientists were already finding mold in our spacecraft.
The Russian MIR space station experienced severe mold contamination problems
An Example of mold growth on MIR
Mold contamination on MIR forced Russia to abandon the the station and let it burn up in the atmosphere.
The International Space Station was designed to combat many of the problems of mold contamination in space.
The Russians designed a special air filter called the POTOK 150MK
The slurper is another system designed to help minimize mold contamination
Inspite of these efforts, mold remains an issue on the ISS
But astronauts are working every day to help solve the mysteries of mold in space.
The skin particles we shed are one of the many factors that facilitate mol growth in our spaceships.
There are also many other problems inherent in long term space travel such as changes in human vision.
rotating space stations like this one may hold the key to solving many of the problems of long term space exploration.
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