For the particle-separation experiments, the researchers covered a large Lego board with cylindrical Lego pegs and placed the board vertically in a fish tank filled with glycerol, a viscous liquid.

Put them all together - knives and a chopping board used to prepare raw chicken or fish in a plastic tub with warm soapy water - and you have almost ideal conditions for the spread of bacteria.

Sgt. Jackson, working with a tiny sink and a cutting board in the rear galley, did his best to fillet and cook the fish himself.