“Knowing What We Are Getting: Evaluating Scientific Research on the International Space Station”, 2017-12-26 (; similar):
The debate over the value of the International Space Station has overlooked a fundamental question: What is the station’s contribution to scientific knowledge?
We address this question using a multivariate analysis of publication and patent data from station experiments.
We find a relatively high probability that ISS experiments with PIs drawn from outside NASA will yield refereed publications and, furthermore, that these experiments have non-negligible probabilities of finding publication in high-impact journals or producing government patents. However, technology demonstrations and experiments with all-NASA PIs have much weaker track records.
These results highlight the complexities inherent to constructing a compelling case for science onboard the ISS or for crewed spaceflight in general.