Archaeology and outer space may not sound like they should mingle outside of science fiction – but on board the International Space Station ( ISS ) , the first - ever archaeological survey in space has been carried out .
The ISS is the largest and most intensely inhabited space station to exist so far , swash over 270 visitors from 23 countries since it was launched in 1998 . The strangeness of this stilted environment – its closing off , confine spaces , and the influences ofmicrogravity – are unlike anything humankind have evolved to experience .
Microgravityin finicky introduces new ways of experience an surround , as it usher in opportunities to move and influence in 360 degrees and to carry out experiment that would be impossible on Earth . But there are limitation too – the broken solemnity mean value objects float around if they are not restrained . This signify that even the most routine activity that someone will perform on Earth have to be cautiously design out and often command technical interventions to assist .
One of the sample locations selected for the ISS study- this is Square 03 in the starboard Maintenance Work Area.Image Credit: NASA/ISSAP and Walsh et al., 2024, PLOS ONE (CC-BY 4.0).
How do citizenry adapt to living in such odd environments ? Over the last two X , interview with gang phallus have provided some perceptivity into how individuals cope with this experience , but consultation can not capture everything .
to empathise the nature of this “ microsociety in a miniworld ” , researchers launched the International Space Station Archaeological Project . This project use an archaeological framework to analyze how multitude use region of the space station by study their stuff as artifacts .
“ While it is potential to interview gang member about their experiences , the value of an approach path focalise on fabric culture is that it allow identification of farsighted - full term patterns of behaviors and associations that interlocutors are ineffective or even unwilling to articulate ” , the team explain in their new theme .
At the same metre , they desire to break archaeologic techniques that permit the study of other habitats in removed , extreme or dangerous environments .
Their first direct employment on the ISS , which happened in 2022 , involved the adaptation of a traditional archaeological scheme called “ the shovel exam pit ” . This proficiency involves digging little pits at interval across a website to evaluate how artefact are distributed . This serve research worker decide which areas to focus on for more extensive mining .
In this case , digging on the ISS would not be soft or advisable , so the archaeologists ask the bunch to document six locating across the post and to take day-after-day picture of each locating for 60 days .
“ Since it is too costly and difficult to visit our archeologic internet site in person , we have to creatively re - imagine traditional archaeologic method to answer primal question ” , the team explains .
The researchers have now published the results of the first two of the six sample field that have been documented . These areas include one assign for equipment care , and another near the latrine and physical exertion equipment .
depth psychology of the photo in both areas , which was performed using a novel open - source effigy platform develop by the team , let out 5,438 instances where “ artifacts ” were used for varied purposes , such as penning tools , Post - it notes , and an augment realism headset .
The results show discrepancies between the intended and literal use of goods and services of certain areas aboard the ISS . A crown of thorns - reference point of the photo with astronaut activity reports showed that the domain near the example equipment and latrine was used as storage sites for toiletries , resealable handbag , and a rarely used computer . However , the orbit was not officially designated for this use .
The equipment sustenance sphere was mostly used for storage as well , with little or no maintenance activities being carried out there .
Ultimately , the study demonstrates how archaeological techniques can be used and adapted to study remote locations , such as the ISS . It also shows that the designers of next space missions should consider how designate sphere of a station or similar blank can be clearly defined in terms of their intended function .
As the generator add in astatement , “ The experiment is the first archaeology ever to materialise off of the planet Earth . By hold a very traditional method for sampling a site to a completely new kind of archaeological context , we show how the ISS gang uses dissimilar areas of the place station in ways that diverge from designs and mission plan . Architects and planners of succeeding space stations can determine valuable example from this work . ”
The written report is published in the journalPLOS ONE .
