NASA astronaut Chris Williams safely processes samples of a bacterial pathogen

iss074e0149044 (Jan. 19, 2026) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 Flight Engineer Chris Williams safely processes samples of a bacterial pathogen inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Williams was exploring a way to prevent the formation of biofilms, or a layer of microorganisms, anywhere water is found on a spacecraft where they pose human health risks and can damage equipment. The microbe samples are housed inside a specialized cell culture chamber, called a BioCell, and exposed to different levels of ultraviolet light to learn how to inhibit microbial growth and reduce reliance on chemical disinfectants.