Physical Science Informatics Data Repository (PSI)

The NASA Physical Science Informatics (PSI) project provides the opportunity for researchers to utilize data and results from prior physical science flight investigations to expand on the research performed. This approach allows numerous ground-based investigations to be conducted from one flight experiment’s data, dramatically increasing our body of knowledge.

Since 2001, microgravity physical science experiments have been conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS provides an ideal facility to conduct long-duration experiments in the near absence of gravity and allows continuous and interactive research like Earth-based laboratories. These experiments have returned impressive and some unexpected results - many of which would not be observable in Earth-based labs. These results provide valuable insights into fundamental physical behavior that can apply to both terrestrial and space environments.

Collecting these results and scientific data in a single location not only provides scientists with scientific data from over one hundred existing experiments, but it also helps identify fields where more study is needed.

PSI is funded and managed by the NASA Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate and was established in fulfillment of BPS’s transition to an Open Science architecture to increase research opportunities. This architecture is based on principles of Open Science and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data and metadata standards, as well as integrated up-to-date bioinformatics analytics.

Data from BPS funded physical science research is organized into six disciplines in PSI – Biophysics, Combustion Science, Complex Fluids, Fluid Physics, Fundamental Physics and Materials Science. Experiments in these disciplines reveal how physical systems respond to the near absence of buoyancy-driven convection, sedimentation, or sagging and also reveal how other forces, such as capillary forces, which are small compared to gravity, can dominate the system behavior in space.

Physical science investigations in PSI includes actual "raw" or minimally processed science data as taken during experiment flight operations on the ISS. This data set is comprised of machine-readable textual or numerical form documents, digital images, and videos. The database also contains analyzed or reduced data by the PI’s science team along with supporting data including science requirements, experiment design and engineering data (including applicable drawings), any analytical or numerical models, publications, reports, and patents, and description of any commercial products developed as a result of the research.

Physical Science datasets have been made open to the scientific research community (academic and commercial) to encourage innovation and competition in the analysis and dissemination of the data.

To incentivize the use of PSI scientific data, NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) division announces an annual request for proposals for the 6 physical science research areas and provides funding opportunities for researchers to conduct investigations using data available in PSI. The solicitation is released each September as part of the NASA Research Announcement, Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES). These grants aim to increase the knowledge and discovery output.

PSI aims to support the transfer of knowledge and technology of space-based research to terrestrial systems benefiting life on Earth, further investigate fundamental laws of physics, develop technologies to facilitate spaceflight research and develop spaceflight risk countermeasures, provide mechanistic understanding of processes underlying space exploration technologies such as power generation and storage, space propulsion, life support systems, and environmental monitoring and control.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.