James Dean

FLORIDA TODAY

Kennedy Space Center teams wielding hydrogen peroxide and wet wipes have averted the threat of a black mold infestation aboard the International Space Station.

The cleaning crews disinfected bags holding thousands of pounds of cargo that is expected to launch to the ISS next month inside an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft, a precaution taken after tests found common black mold on two of the bags.

Investigation continues into the mold’s source and how to prevent another contamination event, but NASA has confirmed that KSC and Florida humidity are not to blame for this one, which was the first of its kind.

That’s because the microbial sampling, a standard pre-launch procedure, was performed before the cargo shipped from Houston to KSC. Test results did not become available, however, until after the cargo had been packed in the Cygnus.

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"The contamination was identified from sampling in Houston, not Florida," said Dan Huot, a spokesman at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

The issue pushed back launch of the Cygnus by an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from March 10 to the current target date of March 22.

After the tests flagged the contamination, all cargo bags were removed from the Cygnus.

Personnel from Lockheed Martin, the contractor responsible for handling station cargo, applied enough hydrogen peroxide to penetrate the bags' woven fabric, then let them dry out. Handling equipment, tables and shelves also were cleaned.

Orbital ATK wiped down the Cygnus’ interior with wet, lint-free wipes before the cargo was loaded back inside.

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NASA says another batch of cargo on its way to Florida has been confirmed to be clean. The cargo is kept in a controlled environment throughout its travels, not exposed to outside humidity.

NASA did not confirm the total amount of cargo being launched, but the last Cygnus flight in December hauled roughly 7,700 pounds to orbit. That spacecraft, now packed with trash, is scheduled to depart the station Friday morning on its way to burning up in the atmosphere.

The next Cygnus mission will be Orbital ATK’s fifth of 10 currently planned under a NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract worth more than $2 billion. One Cygnus did not reach orbit due to an Antares rocket failure in 2014.

Contact Dean at 321-242-3668 orjdean@floridatoday.com.And follow on Twitter at@flatoday_jdeanand on Facebook atfacebook.com/jamesdeanspace.