Dr. Jessica Watkins is the first person to have a scientific paper published from space, as the final stage of peer-review was completed while the NASA astronaut was already aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Astronaut Space Suit
NASA's Black Woman Astronaut Publishes Paper in Space
In an exclusive interview, Watkins spoke with IFLScience about the unusual record as well as her experience of doing it. The paper that was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets was part of Watkins's geology post-doctoral research on data related to Mars's Gale Crater. NASA's Curiosity is currently exploring the crater.
The research, led by Watkins, sheds light on the geological changes that transformed Mars from a water-rich basin to the dry, frigid environment it is today. According to Watkins, the paper describes the finding of an unconformity, or a break in the time of deposition, in a sequence of sedimentary rocks in the Gale crater on Mars. This unconformity separates rocks that formed while the crater contained a lake, and overlying rocks formed when the climate was much drier, resulting in the formation of eolian sand dunes. The unconformity documents a change in climate from wet to dry in the Gale crater, providing evidence consistent with a global change in climate from wet to dry on Mars.
Watkins had submitted the original manuscript several years before applying to join NASA's astronaut corps. Watkins was already on her way to becoming an astronaut when the paper was returned with the reviewers' comments, which is a standard step in the peer-review process.
She was able to go over these comments recently, and she and her co-authors prepared the paper for publication as she joined NASA's Crew-4 to become the first black woman to serve on the International Space Station.
"Fortunately, the majority of the paper was completed prior to launch, because access to resources would undoubtedly be a challenge-on-orbit." Watkins explained the situation to IFLScience.
She added that as an ISS crew member, she has limited physical bandwidth in terms of time and energy to shift focus to a non-mission-critical project, in addition to limited data and communication bandwidth. But, she was thankful for her co-authors' hard work. She was able to review the article proof and complete the ISS publication process.
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Allyn Molina, Wiley's Vice President of Editorial Management, showed interest in the research paper. She said that they were excited to partner with AGU and NASA to get Watkin's research published. Although it would require a few extra steps in their typical production process, they were always committed to advancing research, no matter the distance.
Observing and photographing geological changes on Earth is one of Watkins' many projects. She is working 420 kilometers above our heads. The project is certain to provide a unique perspective of our planet due to being in low-Earth orbit and Watkins' expertise. It is Watkins' first trip into space, but she is also a member of NASA's Artemis crew, which is set to return to the Moon in the coming years.
Artemis I, the first uncrewed launch in the Artemis program, will take place in just a few weeks.
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