Expanding the Space Biology Community: NASA Open Science Data Repository's Analysis Working Groups - Survey Report

This report is an output of the project “A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments” (PHIL_OS) led by Sabina Leonelli, and the case study focused on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) led by Paola Castaño. The case study examines the data processing and sharing practices enabled by OSDR and the role of the Analysis Working Groups (AWGs) bringing together users of the data. The overall goal in this study is to shed light on how open science practices are transforming space biology, and the relationship between the repository’s goals of maximizing discovery and democratizing access.

This report results from a survey conducted between 2023 and 2024 that aimed to characterize the AWG members in terms of their expertise, scientific interests, demographic characteristics, assessments of the repository, and experiences participating in the groups. The survey included 30 questions and 70 respondents completed it.

The following are the two key findings from the survey:

1. The AWGs are expanding the space biology community in four ways. First, they are bringing researchers into the field who were not previously involved with spaceflight research. Second, they are expanding the realms of expertise, skills, and scientific questions that are relevant for space biology. Third, they are including a more diverse range of individuals in terms of their demographic characteristics and career stages. And fourth, they are engaging researchers who already have experience with open science practices outside of space biology.

2. The reported experiences of participation in the AWGs and the respondents’ assessments about several dimensions of OSDR are predominantly favorable and diverse in their aims and modalities. The respondents express positive views about several essential characteristics of the repository and propose courses of action for improvement. The diversity of experiences shows that there is not a single or a primary expected result of participation from the members’ perspectives, but rather sustained interactions among them which lead to different outcomes.

The PHIL_OS project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 101001145). More information can be found at https://opensciencestudies.eu