As 2026 begins, the International Space Station (ISS) continues to orbit Earth as humanity’s longest-running experiment in sustained life beyond the planet. More than a scientific laboratory, the ISS remains a complex socio-technical environment where research, logistics, culture, and care intersect on a daily basis. The year 2025 was characterised by operational continuity, steady scientific […]
Faith in Orbit: Russian Orthodoxy, Spaceflight, and the Anthropology of the ISS
What happens to religion when humans leave Earth? This question sits at the heart of an interview with Jenia Gorbanenko, a PhD researcher and member of the Ethno-ISS project, whose work explores the surprising and deeply material relationship between Russian Orthodox Christianity and the International Space Station (ISS). Far from leaving belief behind, Gorbanenko shows […]
How Living in Space Quietly Changes Life on Earth
When most people think about space, they picture blazing rocket launches, astronauts floating in bulky suits, or futuristic colonies glowing on the surface of the Moon. Yet according to Professor Victor Buchli of University College London, the most meaningful effects of space exploration are not loud, spectacular, or cinematic. Instead, they are subtle transformations already […]
ETHNO-ISS – An Ethnography of an Extra-terrestrial Society: the International Space Station
University College London Launches ETHNO-ISS: An Ethnography of an Extra-terrestrial Society: the International Space Station Principal Investigator Victor Buchli and team aim to holistically re-examine one of the most extreme parts of inhabited Earth: Low Earth Orbit and the International Space Station London/Low Earth Orbit, July 1, 12:00PM GMT/UTC – ETHNO-ISS, a University College London […]