In recent years, health experts have seen a dramatic rise in super-strains of bacteria that can survive the strongest antibiotics in medicine’s arsenal.

Technology developed for performing research on the ​ISS​ has helped develop plasma-based devices to fight superbugs on Earth.

Cold plasma therapy provides a new way to keep hospital patients safe from infections. This technology spin-off from space hardware knocks out bacteria without damaging human tissue, thereby accelerating the process of wound healing. Cold plasma has many practical applications––from food hygiene, to treatment of different kinds of skin diseases, to the purification of water in developing regions. Fundamental research in orbit led to the miniaturization of devices that can be operated at room temperature.

Complex plasma research has been taking place onboard the ISS since 2001. This research has improved our fundamental knowledge and provided tremendous insights in complex plasma research and how we can control complex plasmas (i.e., plasmas mixed with fine particles). The weightless environment is ideal for this area of research by allowing astronauts to produce macroscopic analogues of atomic structure in gases and liquids and observe phase transitions such as melting or freezing.

A DC plasma source was specifically designed for space research into complex plasma and is incorporated in the ​ESA​/​ROSCOSMOS​ ​PK-4 instrument currently on the ISS. On Earth, the resulting increased know-how in plasma technology has allowed the further development of different applications. Because plasma is a charged gas, it can permeate many materials, and spreads evenly and quickly. It can disinfect surfaces, and has been proven to neutralize drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus within seconds.