Analyzing the economic, social, and political impacts of orbital debris is a nascent field of study that would greatly benefit from more research. To this end, NASA will work with selected teams and experts from non-governmental organizations (university, industry, research non-profit) to evaluate the economic, social, and political elements of orbital debris and space sustainability.
A variety of multidisciplinary research groups focused on the orbital debris problem currently exist in the U.S. and internationally. This study effort will focus on U.S.-based universities and non-governmental organizations, while a complementary effort led by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will garner contributions from international universities, and host conferences that both U.S. and international teams may participate in.
Orbital debris research traditionally focuses on the critical task of understanding the physical space environment (characterizing debris, modeling proliferation, evaluating technical remediation and mitigation approaches, etc.). However, space sustainability is a highly complex problem that will require an interdisciplinary approach. This research call therefore seeks to expand upon this important work by integrating physical and social science research. We seek original research that will yield insight into the economic, social, political and other factors that both exacerbate and may yield potential solutions to the problem. To see titles and abstracts of awards that derived from this program, refer to the PDF of selections posted on the NSPIRES page for this program element from ROSES-2022 and from ROSES-23 (look in the lower right under "Selections").
Preference will be given to teams that feature a strong interdisciplinary research and analysis approach or interdisciplinary teams that feature expertise in both social sciences (economics, econometrics, policy analysis) and physical sciences (physics, engineering).
Proposal Deadline: May 17, 2024