The book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir this is exactly what they do - have a layer of the bacteria (which is integral to the plot) between the hull and where t

The book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir this is exactly what they do - have a layer of the bacteria (which is integral to the plot) between the hull and where the humans lived. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Hail_Mary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Hail_Mary Good, fun book. The main protagonists are a bit too inventive and quick to do solve, fix things. But in all fairness it's SF after all.