Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Artemis II mission marked the first crewed deep-space flight since 1972, taking four astronauts around the moon and back. While not everyone can travel to space, NASA offers opportunities for the public to contribute to human space exploration through various citizen science projects.
One such project, Space Umbrella, allows volunteers to assist scientists by classifying data from NASA's Magnetosphere Multiscale mission, which investigates how solar storms interact with Earth's magnetosphere. Solar storms pose risks to astronauts, so understanding them is crucial for enhancing mission safety.
Through the Growing Beyond Earth initiative, middle and high school students and teachers collaborate with scientists to grow plant varieties, including leafy greens and chili peppers, on the International Space Station. This research aims to develop sustainable food sources for astronauts on long-duration missions.
Individuals with data analysis experience can join the Open Science Data Repository Analysis Working Groups to study how life forms, such as plants, mice, microbes, and astronauts, adapt to space environments.
Amateur radio enthusiasts can participate in the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation to build and deploy low-cost space weather stations. Data collected helps scientists understand ionospheric conditions that affect space travel. Participation is open to all, regardless of citizenship, requiring only an interest in science and a willingness to support NASA's research efforts.