Active plasma sterilizer for planetary protection and 1 contamination control for space missions

Active plasma sterilizer for planetary protection and 1 contamination control for space missions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Active plasma sterilizer for planetary protection and 1 contamination control for space missions Subrata Roy, Justin Kosky, Tamara Revazishvili, Sarthak Roy, Sierra Brown, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4604975/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Dec, 2024 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper introduces a novel, compact plasma sterilization system, the Active Plasma Sterilizer (APS), for planetary 9 protection space missions. The development of the APS system is done through iterative testing and design modifications aimed 10 at addressing sterilization modalities for time and temperature, cleaning adhesive surfaces, and cleaning protocols beyond 11 alcohol and bleach. Sterilization testing of Deinococcus radiodurans, Geobacillus stearothermophilus (both spores and non-spores), 12 and Aspergillus fumigatus was verified for the APS on relevant materials of 4 to 5 log reduction up to complete killing in 45 13 minutes or less. The material compatibility testing of the APS performed with Stainless Steel 316, Teflon PTFE, and FR-4 PCB 14 using a single exposure showed no visible material degradation through SEM analysis. This study demonstrates the efficacy of 15 the APS technology for use with planetary protection due to its low-temperature operation, low weight and size, zero-plumbing 16 requirements, safety features, sterilization capabilities, and material compatibility. Biological sciences/Biotechnology Biological sciences/Microbiology Earth and environmental sciences/Planetary science Health sciences/Diseases Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Physics Plasma Sterilization Ozone Portable Smart Plumbing-free design Full Text Additional Declarations Competing interest reported. US Patent Application was published (US 2024/0131212) on April 25, 2024 by J.K, Sa.R., and V.V. for “Active Plasma Sterilizer with Smart Control”. US Patent 10,651,014 by Su. R. was issued for “Compact Portable Plasma Reactor” on May 12, 2020. No other authors have any competing interests. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. Supplementary Files APSPaperSupplementaryMaterialsUpdated.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Dec, 2024 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 Nov, 2024 Reviews received at journal 07 Nov, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Oct, 2024 Reviews received at journal 28 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Jun, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Jun, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 24 Jun, 2024 Editor invited by journal 21 Jun, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 21 Jun, 2024 First submitted to journal 19 Jun, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4604975","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":323428633,"identity":"9a2c91d9-482e-47a3-a745-e07f9c16d11e","order_by":0,"name":"Subrata Roy","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA70lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHjApByI+MBQQrSWBwRhIMs5gMCBBS2ID0VrkZ+Qe+/Dzh136/Bm5D5sLDOzsddsPMH74mINbi8GNvOSZPQnJuRtupBs2zzBITtx2JoFZcuY2PFokcowZeBKYczdIpLE/5jFgTjA7kMDGzItHi/yMHGPGPwn16fIz0hibeQzq7c3OP8CvheFGjjEzT8LhBIYbYC2HGbfdIGCLwZl3ycwyaccNN5x5xgj0y/HEbTceNuP1i3x77mHGNzbV8vLtQFsKKqqBDks++OEjPochA2YIxdhApHqEllEwCkbBKBgFqAAA6n1PHLXOgusAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"SurfPlasma, Inc. 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US Patent Application was published (US 2024/0131212) on April 25, 2024 by J.K, Sa.R., and V.V. for “Active Plasma Sterilizer with Smart Control”. US Patent 10,651,014 by Su. R. was issued for “Compact Portable Plasma Reactor” on May 12, 2020. No other authors have any competing interests. 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