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Outer Space

Journal Article

Competition and Collaboration in Space Between the U.S., China, and Australia: Woomera to WGS and the Impact of Changing U.S. National Space Security Policy

Australian space activities have been reinvigorated, but remain underfunded. China's space activities remain vigorous, but largely unilateral. Given U.S. policy changes, opportunities for cooperation and collaboration among all three have improved.

Mar 5, 2015
Commentary

Don't Worry About Russia Backing Away from Space and WMD Cooperation

Two symbols of U.S.-Russian cooperation are nearing the end of their life expectancies, the International Space Station and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. But both stand as remarkable milestones of achievement and reminders of what can be accomplished when nations put aside political differences for the betterment of humanity.

Feb 27, 2015
Blog

Space Talk Launches Politics Aside

Hundreds of guests packed the Cary Grant Theatre at Sony Studios to kick off RAND's Politics Aside event with a discussion on space technology, policy, and leadership. Matt Miller, columnist, author, and radio host moderated the panel, which included Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs; George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic; and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman.

Nov 14, 2014
Commentary

Should the U.S. Rely on Russian Rocket Engines?

One of the two launch vehicles that lift U.S. satellites into orbit depends on a rocket engine made by a company located in Russia. Russia's recent clashes with Ukraine and its claims on the Crimean peninsula have caused friction with the United States and thereby raised questions among U.S. policymakers about the potential for an interruption in the supply of the engines.

Jul 16, 2014
Testimony

Does Reliance on Foreign Component Supply Chains Put U.S. Launch Vehicles at Risk?

While there are both risks and benefits of using foreign components in the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, the risk of potential supply interruption of most foreign components is manageable. To mitigate those risks, trade-offs of costs, schedules, and mission significance must be considered.

Jul 16, 2014
Commentary

What if Distracted Driving Was Safe?

According to consumer research, the ability to consume media, write an email, or even sleep during transport is a key selling point for self-driving cars, which could be available in the near future. Autonomous vehicle technology could also produce a wide range of public benefits.

Jul 1, 2014
Report

A Safe Way to Implement a Database of Satellite Anomalies

Satellite anomalies are malfunctions caused by solar particles, cosmic rays, or even space debris. A shared database could help identify solutions to prolong the lifetime of spacecraft that experience problems, and could be implemented in a way that would protect the privacy of the satellite operators.

Jun 2, 2014
Commentary

Debris Poses Increased Threat to Exploration

Every satellite launch and maneuver is carefully coordinated because some orbits are strewn with the space-based equivalent of blown tires, abandoned vehicles, loose gravel and, of course, other traffic. Earth's orbit is littered with hundreds of thousands of debris objects.

May 16, 2014
Report

Evaluation of National Institute of Justice–Funded Geospatial Software Tools: Technical and Utility Assessments to Improve Tool Development, Dissemination, and Usage

A geospatial software tool-evaluation study assessed 14 recent tool developments funded by the National Institute of Justice. The study integrates input from tool developers and tool users with RAND's independent tool assessments.

Apr 3, 2014
Report

Achieving Higher-Fidelity Conjunction Analyses Using Cryptography to Improve Information Sharing

Examines the applicability of secure multiparty computation (MPC) protocols as a means to compute the collision probability of two satellites (conjunction analyses) while maintaining the privacy of each operator's orbital information.

Feb 12, 2014
Report

A Sixty-Year Timeline of the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site

Since it was built in the 1950s, the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site's mission, management structure, and operational partners have changed several times to accommodate the contemporary challenges and research tools. This timeline documents some of those historical changes.

Dec 16, 2013
Commentary

Satellites for Rent

Reports earlier this year that the U.S. Department of Defense leased a Chinese satellite to support military operations in Africa sparked concern that the arrangement could compromise control over U.S. military communications, or, worse, allow Chinese intelligence gatherers access to privileged military data.

Nov 8, 2013
Report

Increasing Flexibility and Agility at the National Reconnaissance Office: Lessons from Modular Design, Occupational Surprise, and Commercial Research and Development Processes

To help the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) become more flexible and agile in an increasingly uncertain world, RAND researched whether the NRO might benefit from building modular satellites and examined how professionals respond to surprise.

Aug 14, 2013
Blog

A Public-Private Model for Funding Space Missions

The future of manned space flight, including missions to Mars and other deep space destinations, will likely depend on the combined resources of governments and commercial enterprises, say Dave Baiocchi and William Welser.

Jul 23, 2013
Report

Facilitating Information Sharing Across the International Space Community: Lessons from Behavioral Science

Based on a review of relevant research literature, this report examines ways to encourage the space community to share information that will help its members navigate increasing numbers of satellites and space debris.

May 2, 2013
Commentary

Kill the Space Launch System to Save Human Spaceflight

Even in the face of a budgetary spending cap and the ever-looming possibility of new cuts, NASA continues investing in a robust and diverse human spaceflight program. But with fiscal uncertainty expected to continue, it should consider reordering its spending priorities.

Apr 5, 2013
Commentary

Satellite Collision Is a Reminder of Challenges Posed by Space Debris

Solving the problem of space debris isn't going to be easy because, like spilled petroleum products, debris can spend years lurking in an environment that is foreign to most people's daily lives, write Dave Baiocchi and William Welser.

Mar 15, 2013
Commentary

The Effects of Celestial Events Go Beyond Their Impact

While the event in Russia was caused by a medium-sized (10,000-ton) meteor, larger objects, like the asteroid 2012 DA14 that also passed near Earth last week, have the potential to be significantly more damaging, write Dave Baiocchi and William Welser.

Feb 20, 2013
Commentary

Intelsat Crash a Setback for Space Lift Competition

Sea Launch's recent failure means more than just a lost payload and revenue for Intelsat: It means the status quo for launch services will continue for a while longer, write Dave Baiocchi and William Welser.

Feb 12, 2013
Journal Article

Detecting Ionospheric TEC Perturbations Caused by Natural Hazards Using a Global Network of GPS Receivers: The Tohoku Case Study

Recent advances in GPS data processing have demonstrated that ground-based GPS receivers are capable of detecting ionospheric TEC perturbations caused by surface-generated Rayleigh, acoustic and gravity waves.

Dec 1, 2012

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