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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting experiments with an antimicrobial surface coating designed to fight the spread of bacteria and viruses, including the Earth-bound SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Developed by Boeing [NYSE: BA] and The University of Queensland (UQ), the joint research project was tested aboard Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator last year as part of the company’s Confident Travel Initiative.
“While testing continues on orbit and on Earth, we’re encouraged by the preliminary results of the antimicrobial chemical compound,” said Mike Delaney, Boeing’s chief aerospace safety officer. “There is the potential for broad-based applicability for a surface coating like this when used in conjunction with other measures to prevent disease transmission.”
Imagine seeing a bunch of astronauts heading to a set location on the ISS every few days and gently touching a surface. It may seem like a ritual of some secret guild, but in fact it is an experiment designed by Boeing and The University of Queensland (UQ), meant to highlight the potential properties of an antimicrobial surface coating.
Boeing designed the coating to protect astronauts during space missions, but after the coronavirus outbreak researches modified the formula to target the COVID-19 virus.
Press release content from PR Newswire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
International Space Station Tests Virus-fighting Surface Coating Developed by Boeing, University of Queensland
February 15, 2021 GMT
BRISBANE, Australia, Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting experiments with an antimicrobial surface coating designed to fight the spread of bacteria and viruses, including the Earth-bound SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Developed by Boeing [NYSE: BA] and The University of Queensland (UQ), the joint research project was tested aboard Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator last year as part of the company’s Confident Travel Initiative.