Evaluation of Low-Pressure Cold Plasma for Disinfection of ISS Grown Produce and Metallic Instrumentation

Abstract: Cold plasma (CP) cleaning is a dry, non-thermal process, which can provide broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity yet reportedly causes little to no damage to the object being sanitized. Since cold plasma uses no liquids, it has the distinct advantage when used in microgravity of not having to separate liquids from the item being cleaned. This paper will present results on an effort to use low pressure CP to disinfect or sterilize materials for in space applications. Exposure times from 0 to 6…