First-ever archaeological survey on space station finds floating life ‘messy’

A first-ever “archaeological survey” was carried out aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

For over two decades, the football field-sized space station has been humanity’s outpost in orbit. But have you ever wondered how many portions of this massive station astronauts really use?

To find out this, a team of researchers led by Justin Walsh of Chapman University, California, decided to conduct archaeology in space.

They adapted a classic archaeological technique called the “shovel test pit” for the ISS. Of course, astronauts did not dig holes; rather, researchers asked them to capture daily photos of six specific locations on the space station.

“I think most people think that life in space is like sci-fi depictions – smooth, shiny, efficient, hi-tech. In reality, the ISS is chaotic, messy, fairly disorganized, organized in an ad hoc way,” Walsh told Interesting Engineering (IE) .

“We developed new ways, including the use of historic photography of the interior of the ISS, to study the station’s material culture (objects and built spaces), because that’s the primary evidence that we use as archaeologists to answer our questions,” he added further.

Astronauts captured images for 60 days

The team used shovel test pits, which are a standard archaeological technique used to quickly assess an area’s archaeological potential.

For 60 days in 2022, the astronauts photographed the same six spots on the space station every day. These provided insights into how astronauts truly interact with their surroundings.

“It was very important for our study to show that archaeology is a systematic, rigorous science. We designated five areas of known shapes and dimensions for the crew to document, and they chose a sixth area based on what they thought would be interesting,” Walsh mentioned.

The study analyzed two areas: equipment maintenance and a zone near the bathroom and exercise area. By comparing historical images with continuous observation, the researchers found a stark contrast between the area’s designated function and its actual use.

Combining photo evidence with astronaut logs, the study found that the bathroom and gym area had been adapted into a storage compartment for toiletries, bags, and an underutilized computer. Conversely, the maintenance area was primarily used for storage, with minimal maintenance activities taking place.

As per the press release, they also found over 5,438 instances of “artifacts” being used in various ways, from pens to VR headsets.

“We were able to show the difference between the activities that the historic photos depict in an area designated for maintenance (people working on maintenance of equipment or scientific research) and what really happened over a two-month period of continuous observation (no maintenance, little science, but lots of storage of a wide variety of items),” he added.

Future space stations

The author highlights that there is a substantial gap between theoretical and practical space use, particularly in storage provisions.

So, what does this study mean for the future of space exploration? The orbital station is expected to retire by the end of this decade, and several commercial ones are being developed for launch in the coming years.

This study puts forth the need for better storage options in future habitat designs to accommodate both shared and personal belongings.

“The specific findings of this experiment reinforce that it’s time to move beyond survivability as the goal in designing new spacecraft, and to move towards real habitability,” Walsh told IE.

“When astronauts are properly accommodated, and have autonomy over their lives like we take for granted on Earth, they will be happier, healthier, and more productive.”

This research shows that traditional archaeological methods can be applied to explore distant or challenging environments.

The findings have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.