Building AI-Ready Data Systems for Space Life Sciences, Aerospace Medicine, and Deep Space Exploration
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: While AI holds the potential to revolutionize space life sciences, realizing this promise is contingent upon the systematic restructuring of heterogeneous spaceflight biological data into machine-actionable, AI-ready forms. Even though open access principles support human reuse and scientific reproducibility, this does not necessarily enable AI systems to access and analyze such a diverse set of scientific datasets. In addition, the growing array of AI approaches places distinct demands on data structure, metadata, and access interfaces. In order to respond to such growing changes we propose a three-tier approach, proceeding from FAIR to AI-ready to space-ready data. We discuss existing infrastructures and how they can be improved to close the AI access gap. We conclude by proposing a neutral international coordinating body as the governance backbone for the trustworthy, agent-accessible space biology infrastructure that deep space biological research will require.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Costes, Sylvain V., Busto, Sergio Garcia, Scott, Ryan T., Casaletto, James A., de Fourtou, Gautier Bardi, Evarts, Brian M., Saravia-Butler, Amanda M., Palmer, Xavier-Lewis, de Almeida, Rodrigo Coutinho, Frost, Laetitia, Tešić, Jelena, Beheshti, Afshin, Mason, Christopher E., Rose, Peter W., Baranzini, Sergio E., Sanders, Lauren M., Giacomello, Stefania, Madrigal, Pedro
Institutions: Ames Research Center, Amentum (United States), Blue Marble Space, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, European Space Agency, Texas State University, University of Pittsburgh, Weill Cornell Medicine, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego, University of California, San Francisco, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, European Bioinformatics Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, University of Pittsburgh, Wellcome Trust, WorldQuant Foundation, Swedish National Space Agency, Vetenskapsrådet, National Institutes of Health, Ames Research Center, Science Mission Directorate, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Awards: G1876499895, G1934407441, G2271792669, G2632102402, Wellcome Sanger Institute Quinquennial Review 2021-2026, G3399367771, Spaceflight and brain: plasticity under extreme conditions, Proto-OKN Theme 1: Connecting Biomedical information on Earth and in Space via the SPOKE knowledge graph, Wellcome Sanger Institute Quinquennial Review 2021-2026, G8227615613, G8464139025, The Epitranscriptome as a Novel Mechanism of Arsenic-Induced Diabetes., VAST Center: Viromes Across Space(s) and Time, BAF complex deregulation in lymphoma
OpenAlex ID: W7166745178