First Approximation of Population Distributions on the International Space Station

Justin St P. Walsh, Rao Hamza Ali, Alice C. Gorman, Amir Kanan Kashefi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of data derived from thousands of publicly available photographs showing life on the International Space Station (ISS) between 2000 and 2020. Our analysis uses crew and locational information from the photographs’ metadata to identify the distribution of different population groups—by gender, nationality, and space agency affiliation—across modules of the ISS, for the first time. Given the significance of the ISS as the most intensively inhabited space habitat to date, an international cooperative initiative involving 26 countries and five space agencies, and one of the most expensive building projects ever undertaken by humans, developing an understanding of which people are using different parts of the space station is critical for future usage of this and other stations. This study also sheds light on problems faced by future space station designers who are concerned with optimal usage of their habitats. The data from this investigation have been permanently deposited with Open Context.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)133-142
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Spacecraft and Rockets
Volume61
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2024

Keywords

  • International Space Station (ISS)
  • population groups
  • population distribution
  • space station design

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