Citizen Scientists in Space: When Tourism Meets Research

Erich Schlesinger and Subhankar Das ()
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Erich Schlesinger: Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu – National Louis University
Subhankar Das: Duy Tan University

A chapter in Pioneering the New Space Economy through AI and Immersive Technologies, 2025, pp 261-276 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract When combined with citizen science, space tourism brings a new, transformative opportunity: democratizing space exploration and scaling scientific discovery. In this chapter: Emphasizing the prevalence of change of space, we analyze private-led spaceflight efforts, such as those by SpaceX or Blue Origin, allowing civilians to get involved in research, through experimentation in microgravity, studies regarding the physiology of the human body and environment observation. This approach yields varied datasets on human adaptation in space, which are valuable for long-term and planetary missions involving colonization missions. Underpinned by collaboration between tourism businesses, research institutions, and regulatory authorities, and by technology such as analytics powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality tools. Although obstacles like data quality, ethics, and equitable access remain, the intersection of tourism and science helps lay the groundwork for engagement, STEM education, and economic innovation. The chapter calls for sustainable, inclusive policies that could help balance commercial interests with scientific rigor, foreseeing a participatory “space economy” where curiosity-driven exploration is accessible to all humanity.

Keywords: Space tourism; Citizen science; Microgravity research; Scientific democratization; Ethical considerations; Participatory space economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-96-5977-7_13

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-5977-7_13

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