CAMbank: Environmental Swabbing in Flight (v1) v1

This protocol details the standardized collection of environmental microbial samples from spacecraft interiors during flight, using sterile swabs and nucleic acid preservative to enable downstream microbial community analyses. During the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, environmental swabs were collected from predetermined high-contact and representative surfaces inside the Dragon capsule on Flight Days 1 and 2, as well as from a crew training capsule pre-flight. Ten locations were sampled at each timepoint, including control surfaces, instrument panels, viewing ports, waste locker lid, hatch handles, and crew seat headrests. For each site, sterile DNA/RNA swabs were pre-moistened with nuclease-free water (in-flight: hydrogen-infused water) and applied with firm pressure for 30 seconds, ensuring maximum surface coverage. Swabs were then placed in 2D matrix tubes containing DNA/RNA Shield preservative and stored at ambient temperature during flight. After return to Earth, samples were transferred to −80°C storage in the Cornell Aerospace Medicine Biobank (CAMbank). This method is compatible with metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and targeted qPCR assays to characterize microbial composition, diversity, and potential pathogenicity in the spacecraft environment. The approach supports the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) initiative’s objective of developing standardized environmental biospecimen protocols to enable cross-mission comparisons and track microbe–crew–habitat interactions over time.