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From Orbit to Open Source: How Wikipedia Shapes Scientific Progress
On the sixth day of space travel, NASA’s Artemis II crew traveled behind the moon, a feat accomplished for the first time in all of human history. Several years ago, astronaut Christina Koch became the first person to edit Wikipedia from space, as noted by social media influencer Annie Rauwerda in her Depths of Wikipedia Instagram account.
We spoke with Wikimedian-in-Residence for the University of Virginia School of Data Science Lane Rasberry to discuss the significance of a seemingly small action.
Q: Astronaut Christina Koch became the first person to edit Wikipedia from space. How does the ability to instantly update and access information impact the progression of fields like data science?
It is astounding that she was able to edit from orbit, but it is equally astounding that anyone can share information globally from anywhere they can connect to the Internet. I know that not everyone wants or needs to participate in sharing information online, but I do want a society where everyone feels safe to have the choice to publish online and want people to trust online fact-checking processes. Getting edits from space is a reminder that anyone can share information if they wish to do so.
Q: Other than outer space, what are the most interesting places people have edited or created Wikipedia entries?
Besides volunteer Wikipedia editors, there are also volunteer Wikipedia photographers, and they only get pictures by going to interesting places. Right now the community is voting on "Picture of the Year 2025" and the candidates for settlements are all amazing.
Q: Wikipedia also encompasses the spirit of boldly going “for all humanity.” What encourages you and your community to work together and maintain a constantly evolving open-source platform?
A common sentiment among Wikipedia editors is, “if you do not see yourself represented, then you should represent yourself.” Wikipedians frequently say that they got their start with online publishing by seeing some useful information, but feeling that it could be better, and then realizing that they could be the ones to make the change they want to see in the world.
Q: How does Wikipedia's commitment to free knowledge create opportunity within the realm of scientific endeavors?
When people come to Wikipedia, it is because they are searching for information. Compare this with social media, where people get pushed information by an algorithm instead of by search. We do not market, and cannot attract people to learn about science, but despite this, from our audience traffic reports, we know we have a huge global readership for science topics. The opportunity here is that for anyone who wants to share free knowledge on science issues, Wikipedia offers the least expensive option to publish information to the specific readership which is trying to learn about it online.
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Lane Rasberry is the Wikimedian-in-Residence at the School of Data Science. Rasberry’s research interests include open movement, public health communication, source metadata, clinical trials, and LGBT+ data.
Rasberry supports the School of Data Science and the University of Virginia Library as they engage with Wikipedia, Wikidata, and related Wikimedia projects. Rasberry holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Washington.
