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Research facility · Merritt Island · United States

Kennedy Space Center

In research, Kennedy Space Center stands highest in Physical Sciences (#9,691 of 12,888 worldwide), 2022–2025.

kennedyspacecenter.comROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#16,870
of 28,054 · #5,520 all time
Rank in United States
#2,401
of 4,192
Research works
3.2k
▼ 56% vs 2013–17
Citations
31k
9.7 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
17.8%
record average 16.5%
Open access
44%
world 28%

What is Kennedy Space Center known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #9,691 of 12,888 17.7%77 #3630

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Kennedy Space Center sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1.77× its world share, 9 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.70× its world share, 4 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.28× its world share, 0 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.04× its world share, 0 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 2.53× its world share, 1 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.40× its world share, 1 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.22× its world share, 2 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.04× its world share, 2 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.09× its world share, 1 worksEnergyEngineering: 2.59× its world share, 40 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 2.02× its world share, 10 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.89× its world share, 3 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.92× its world share, 1 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 6.98× its world share, 16 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 0.37× its world share, 1 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.32× its world share, 6 worksMedicineNursing: 0.77× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 0.04× its world share, 0 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.05× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.58× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.01× its world share, 3 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.12× its world share, 2 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 7.0×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Kennedy Space Center?

Ranked on the composite score, W. E. Larson, John C. Sager and Richard Russell lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Kennedy Space Center.

  1. 1 W. E. Larson United States · #128,969 worldwide 335 citations · 91 works
  2. 2 John C. Sager United States · #141,074 worldwide 135 citations · 35 works
  3. 3 Richard Russell United States · #169,652 worldwide 182 citations · 20 works
  4. 4 Paul E. Hintze United States · #242,979 worldwide 93 citations · 40 works
  5. 5 Anthony C. Muscatello United States · #316,331 worldwide 76 citations · 26 works
  6. 6 James E. Fesmire United States · #340,089 worldwide 80 citations · 38 works
  7. 7 Steve Trigwell United States · #363,148 worldwide 61 citations · 18 works
  8. 8 Robert C. Youngquist United States · #416,457 worldwide 86 citations · 29 works
  9. 9 William Notardonato United States · #451,350 worldwide 111 citations · 15 works
  10. 10 Ivan I. Townsend United States · #462,994 worldwide 34 citations · 21 works
All ranked researchers at Kennedy Space Center

Which keywords describe research at Kennedy Space Center?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Mars, Martian Surface, Simulation, Risk Assessment, Cryogenic Storage, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Biomechanics and Extravehicular Activity.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Mars8▲ 249×1 topic
  2. Martian Surface8▲ 249×1 topic
  3. Risk Assessment6▲ 9.0×3 topics
  4. Simulation6▲ 24×3 topics
  5. Cryogenic Storage6▲ 187×1 topic
  6. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)6▲ 187×1 topic
  7. Biomechanics5▲ 16×2 topics
  8. Climate Change5▲ 1.81×16 topics
  9. Extravehicular Activity5▲ 569×1 topic
  10. Space Suit5▲ 569×1 topic
  11. Solar System Abundances4▲ 69×1 topic
  12. Terrestrial Planets4▲ 69×1 topic
  13. Microgravity3▲ 173×1 topic
  14. Spaceflight3▲ 173×1 topic
  15. CubeSat3▲ 154×1 topic
  16. small satellite3▲ 154×1 topic
  17. Signal Transduction3▲ 19×2 topics
  18. Photoreceptors3▲ 137×1 topic
  19. Phytochromes3▲ 137×1 topic
  20. Biomedical Applications3▲ 2.2×6 topics
  21. Plant Growth2▲ 18×3 topics
  22. Conservation2▲ 4.6×5 topics
  23. Microbial Communities2▲ 4.3×3 topics
  24. Population Dynamics2▲ 7.2×6 topics
  25. Space Policy2▲ 103×1 topic
  26. Space Tourism2▲ 103×1 topic
  27. Trophic Cascades2▲ 16×2 topics
  28. Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas1▲ 73×1 topic
  29. Combustion Instabilities1▲ 22×2 topics
  30. Plasma Medicine1▲ 73×1 topic
  31. Space Exploration1▲ 31×2 topics
  32. Water Treatment1▲ 11×2 topics
  33. Astrobiology1▲ 45×1 topic
  34. Extraterrestrial Life1▲ 62×1 topic
  35. Habitat Selection1▲ 17×2 topics
  36. Technology Transfer1▲ 28×2 topics
  37. Actuators1▲ 7.6×3 topics
  38. Fisheries Sustainability1▲ 13×2 topics
  39. Hybrid Rocket Propulsion1▲ 54×1 topic
  40. Regression Rate Behavior1▲ 54×1 topic

Which research topics does Kennedy Space Center publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Planetary Science and Exploration, Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies, Space Exploration and Technology and Astro and Planetary Science.

Planetary Science and Ex…8Planetary Science and Exploration: 8 fractional worksSpacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies: 6 fractional worksSpace Exploration and Technology: 5 fractional worksAstro and Planetary Science: 4 fractional worksSpaceflight effects on biology: 3 fractional worksSpacecraft Design and Te…3Spacecraft Design and Technology: 3 fractional worksLight effects on plants: 3 fractional worksSpace exploration and regulation: 2 fractional worksPlasma Applications and Diagnostics: 1 fractional worksSpace Science and Extraterrestrial Life: 1 fractional works
Astronomy and AstrophysicsAerospace EngineeringPhysiologyPlant Science1 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Planetary Science and Exploration Astronomy and Astrophysics 8 works
  2. 2 Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies Aerospace Engineering 6 works
  3. 3 Space Exploration and Technology Aerospace Engineering 5 works
  4. 4 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 4 works
  5. 5 Spaceflight effects on biology Physiology 3 works
  6. 6 Spacecraft Design and Technology Aerospace Engineering 3 works
  7. 7 Light effects on plants Plant Science 3 works
  8. 8 Space exploration and regulation Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 works
  9. 9 Plasma Applications and Diagnostics Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging 1 works
  10. 10 Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available43.9%not open56.1%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors4.8%domestic only95.2%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Kennedy Space Center's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 56% lower than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Merritt Island

All research institutions in Merritt Island

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.