How color-changing, bacteria-infused spacesuits could help keep future astronauts safe from space radiation

In the future, some of us will be wearing clothes made of bacteria that change colors based on the level of radiation we’re exposed to. At least, that’s the hope of scientists and a fashion designer in Scotland.

Too much ionizing radiation exposure can cause long-term health problems, including cancer and reproductive issues. Radiation exposure is considered especially risky for astronauts because galactic cosmic radiation (GCR, or “space radiation”) is strong, and space travelers have less protection from it when they leave the relative safety of Earth’s magnetic field.

Researchers behind a project called Pigmented Space Pioneers are trying to solve this problem by helping space travelers gauge their risk. They’re making clothing fabric that’s treated with special types of bacteria that fade and change color after being exposed to radiation. To create predictable patterns, the team is using special needles and 3D printing techniques.

“Exposure to radiation breaks up the pigments in the bacteria, while similar exposure to radiation in humans breaks our DNA,” project leader Gilles Bailet, a lecturer in space technology at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering, said in a statement from the University of Glasgow.

“For the bacteria, that means a reduction in their color saturation, but for us it means greater risk of genetic mutations and cancers,” Bailet added.

A sample of the fabric — which includes red, yellow, pink, blue and orange hues — will be sent into space early next year on a small satellite called PocketQube, according to the statement. How the fabric changes over time, a process that will be documented by cameras on the satellite, will be a test of how well the dye works to detect months-long radiation exposure in orbit.

The same bacteria (which are harmless, the research team says) are also being studied for use as a sustainable alternative to fabric dyes that are harmful for the environment. And the radiation-gauging clothing may also help those at risk of being exposed to higher-than-average levels of radiation on Earth, such as people who run CT scans in medical settings.

“What we’re developing is a fabric with a design that is visually interesting but is also easily readable, so that in the future it will be easy to see at a glance when the dye has faded in response to potentially dangerous radiation exposure,” Katie Tubbing, the designer behind the clothing, said in the same statement.

“It’s an exciting challenge, and it’s a unique fusion of art and science.”