NASA's Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) enables the reuse of comprehensive, multi-modal space life science data -- including omics, physiological, phenotypic, behavioral, and environmental telemetry -- to advance basic and applied research as well as operational outcomes for human space exploration. Through its commitment to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, OSDR maintains a robust, open-access platform that includes GeneLab, the Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA), and the NASA Biological Institutional Scientific Collection (NBISC). By streamlining data submission and promoting data reuse, OSDR fosters community-driven standards, offers visualization and analysis tools, and supports public engagement through training programs like GeneLab for Colleges and Universities (GL4U) and GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS). These efforts provide the foundation for understanding how terrestrial life responds to spaceflight, which is essential for preparing humans for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
To maximize scientific return, OSDR partners with NASA-funded and international life sciences missions, curates astronaut data through secure platforms, and provides access to biospecimens for further study. The repository supports advanced data mining through APIs, DOIs, and submission tools, enabling research across space biology, health, and engineering. The knowledge gained through OSDR data -- such as insights into radiation effects, physiological changes, and microbial shifts -- can inform countermeasure development and habitat design for future lunar and Martian missions. OSDR's eight Analysis Working Groups (AWGs) drive discovery by setting standards and collaboratively analyzing data, producing high-impact publications like the "Biology of Spaceflight" and the "Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA)."
The Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA), located at NASA Ames Research Center, is the official repository for non-human life sciences data generated by NASA's Space Biology and Human Research Programs. ALSDA archives, curates, and provides access to higher-order phenotypic datasets -- including physiological, behavioral, tissue, organ, and whole-organism data -- from spaceflight and ground-based experiments. With over 30 years of life sciences research, ALSDA has modernized its systems to align with FAIR principles and integrated into NASA's Open Science Data Repository, offering improved data accessibility and reuse through tools like updated data management plans, a single-point data submission portal, and cloud-based repositories. The archive supports cross-mission and interdisciplinary research, enabling discoveries related to space biology and human health, including insights into conditions like muscle atrophy and bone loss relevant to long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
GeneLab is NASA's first comprehensive open-access platform for storing, sharing, and analyzing omics data from spaceflight and related experiments. It enables scientists worldwide to explore how microgravity, radiation, and the space environment affect DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites by providing rigorously curated and standardized multi-omics datasets along with essential metadata. GeneLab supports discovery by integrating diverse biological data types -- genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and more -- from a range of organisms including plants, microbes, and animals. These data help uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying physiological changes in space, such as bone loss, immune dysregulation, and microbial evolution -- insights that are vital for protecting astronaut health and advancing space exploration. With applications reaching beyond space, GeneLab data also contribute to breakthroughs in human disease research, plant biology, and microbiome science. By maximizing the scientific return from rare and valuable space experiments, fostering a collaborative international community, and standardizing protocols for data quality, GeneLab accelerates innovation that supports both Earth-based medicine and long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.