Archaeological researchers discovered a “rarely used computer” near the toilet on the International Space Station, in a place where the device was not expected to be.
The latest findings illustrate how astronauts on the International Space Station are making the most of a crowded laboratory that has been manned by humans around the clock since 2000, a new study shows.
The new work, published August 7 in PLOS One, is part of a peer-reviewed series by the International Space Station Archaeological Project that used a technique popular on Earth to track the use of objects in space called a “test pit.”
Related: “Astronaut archaeology” could improve the design of space stations. Here’s how
On Earth, archaeological digs often involve digging sample pits on the site to determine where artifacts were left behind. On the ISS, this is harder to track because everything is floating and everyone is using the walls and ceilings for storage in addition to the floor.
Therefore, the study team instructed ISS astronauts to mark out six areas around the six-bedroom complex and take photographs of those areas at regular intervals to see how objects move around the station over time.
An earlier study by this group, published in 2023, uncovered a mystery surrounding the cake frosting, as cakes cannot “rise” in space and it was unclear what the frosting would decorate. It took some time for the busy ISS crew to get answers, but they eventually revealed that the topping was used on pre-made cupcakes for Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov’s birthday on January 30, 2022, during Expedition 66.
A new investigation of a wall opposite the toilet and nearby exercise equipment in the US Tranquility module of the ISS (Node 3) revealed a number of unexpected items: the aforementioned computer, a number of resealable bags and even toiletries. All of these items were located in a location officially designated for equipment maintenance.
The conclusion? “In fact, little to no maintenance was performed there,” the investigators wrote in a PLoS press release.
Related: NASA just recycled 98% of all astronauts’ urine and sweat on the ISS (engineers are thrilled)
NASA is currently studying how commercial companies can create next-generation space habitats after the ISS is decommissioned in 2030. Perhaps, say the study’s authors, “the findings could also help develop future space habitats.”
The authors emphasized that tracking artifacts in space has broader implications for understanding how people use and store objects in places in general.
“We (…) have the opportunity to explore not only the actual use of an object, but also its potential or function and the significance of this quality for archaeological interpretation,” they wrote in the study.
While the ISS is modern, the authors of the study rely on old ideas: As early as the fourth century BC, Aristotle, in his “Metaphysics,” dealt with the “potential” of objects and their use, as well as the question of why this is important.
“I’m not going to lie, this is my favorite reference in our space archaeology paper,” the study’s lead author, Justin Walsh, a professor of art history, archaeology and space studies at Chapman University in California, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on August 7.
“You can take the boy out of the ancient Mediterranean, but you can’t take the ancient Mediterranean out of the boy,” Walsh continued, underlining the joke with a laughing emoji.
The six cordoned off locations in the ISS included:
- The galley table in Node 1, Unity;
- The starboard workstation in Node 2, Harmony module;
- The wall opposite the toilet (waste and hygiene compartment) in node 3, rest module;
- The science shelf on the front wall of the Japanese Kibo module;
- The science shelf on the front wall of the European Columbus module;
- A rack on the port side of the US module Destiny (crew’s choice).
