Fungal Resilience and Biotechnological Innovations for Aerospace

Kurzfassung

Ensuring microbial safety in space habitats is a central challenge in applied aerospace biology. While bacterial contamination has long been a primary focus, the role of filamentous fungi in closed and technically regulated systems is often underestimated. Their recurrent detection on the International Space Station, particularly of Aspergillus and Penicillium, is not unexpected, as molds are part of the human microbiome and nearly all terrestrial ecosystems. Their presence becomes critical, however, due to pronounced resistance to environmental stressors and microbial control measures. In closed and sensitive environments such as space stations, aircraft, or hospitals, they pose significant risks: as opportunistic pathogens they can cause allergies or invasive infections, and they may also compromise technical systems through biocorrosion and polymer degradation. At the same time, their stress resistance and metabolic versatility open perspectives for targeted biotechnological applications. This cumulative dissertation investigates the model organism Aspergillus niger in four studies: (i) A stratospheric balloon experiment (MARSBOx) demonstrates the extraordinary resilience of spores under combined radiation and desiccation stress. (ii) Copper-based structured surfaces reduce spore viability by up to 99% through increased copper ion release, providing a foundation for the development of functionalized antifungal materials. (iii) Single-cell analyses of A. niger spores using a microfluidic platform and time-resolved microscopy reveal heterogeneous developmental trajectories under stress already during the initial swelling phase. (iv) A genetically modified strain of A. niger produces pyomelanin in a controlled manner, illustrating a biobased approach to radiation protection. The work provides experimental evidence for both risks and application potentials of filamentous fungi, deriving implications for protective strategies targeting materials and life-support systems as well as approaches for their biotechnological integration in future long-duration space missions.