Planetary quarantine requirements associated with the launch of two Viking spacecraft necessitated microbiological assessment during assembly and testing at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Samples were collected from selected surfaces of the Viking Lander Capsules (VLC), Orbiters (VO), and Shrouds at predetermined intervals during assembly and testing. Approximately 7,000 samples were assayed. Levels of bacterial spores per square meter on the VLC-1 and VLC-2 were 1.6 x 102 and 9.7 x 10', respectively, prior to dryheat sterilization. The ranges of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms detected on the VO-1 and VO-2 at various sampling events were 4.2 x 102 to 4.3 x 10:1 and 2.3 x 102 to 8.9 x 103/m2, respectively. Approximately 1,300 colonies were picked from culture plates, identified, lyophilized, and stored for future reference. About 75% of all isolates were microorganisms considered indigenous to humans; the remaining isolates were associated with soil and dust in the environment. The percentage of microorganisms of human origin was consistent with results obtained with previous automated spacecraft but slightly lower than those observed for manned (Apollo) spacecraft.

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Pyrolysis gas-liquid chromatography was performed on dried Bacillus microorganisms to evaluate the effects of growth media. Six cultures of Bacillus and six lot numbers of Trypticase soy agar (BBL) were used to test the hypothesis that a microorganism grown on various lot numbers of the same media would have the same chromatogram. Also tested was the effect of three different media on chromatogram reproduction using the same six cultures. Results show little or no differences observed between the chromatograms of the individual Bacillus spp. grown on the six lot numbers of Trypticase soy agar. When chromatograms of the three different media were compared, several differences were observed, particularly in the areas most characteristic of individual species. Pryolysis gas-liquid chromatography can be a useful tool for the characterization or identification of the genus Bacillus if the chromatographic and cultural conditions are maintained.

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