Microbial interaction with terrestrial and extraterrestrial rocks on the International Space Station

As space agencies plan to expand human presence in space and to settle on the Moon first and Mars later, developing strategies to achieve this goal in a sustainable way is necessary. These include in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and recovering of materials by waste recycling (1). Microbe based technologies may be pivotal to the success of human space exploration. Potential roles of microorganisms in space include manufacturing, as building blocks of ecosystems, in waste recycling and in biomining (2). Understanding microbial response to space conditions is therefore essential to harness their potential. [...