SpaceJams

What is SpaceJams?

SpaceJams is our weekly Policy "meeting". It is meant to be an informal get-together (with food!) for anyone in SSI that is interested in gaining a broader perspective on the space industry and learning about a particular topic or recent space news. We want this to be a welcoming and interactive space (pun intended) where anyone can jump in with questions, ideas, or insights.

The overall structure is loosely as follows:

• Each week, a member (or a couple of members) will be Discussion Leads, bringing in a topic or article(s) of interest and any relevant historical contexts that they feel the group would benefit from.
• The Discussion Leads share and summarize the article or topic of choice, presenting any conflicting opinions, strategies, or current difficulties that makes this a relevant and intriguing topic.
• Discussion Leads prepare a series of questions to pose to the group for discussion and any possible proposals or areas for further research. More often than not, there won't be a simple resolution to a topic -- and that's fine! The goal here isn't to solve the problems facing the aerospace industry, but rather to gain a better understanding of what's happening. Where we can, we may try to hypothesize what possible futures may look like.

Discussion Lead Schedule (Fall 2017)

Week 3 (Sun 10/8): Rebecca & ?

Week 4:

Week 5:

Week 6:

Week 7:

Week 8:

Week 9:

Possible Discussion Topics

Not sure where to start? Take a look at just a handful of issues present in the space world these days...

• Back to the Moon or go to Mars?
• US Space Corps
• Space debris -- Who's problem is it? How to enforce rules?
• (Asteroid) Mining and territorial ownership
• NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)
• Legislative oversight for national colonization of outer space bodies?
• What are the most important considerations for Mars colonization?
• The right role for NASA given private launchers like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, etc
• How much human safety should be a priority
• What we should be developing? (e.g. focus on launch, or do we need more human health stuff)
• Why should we settle other planets vs focus on taking care of Earth?
• Why should we go to or explore space at all?
• How will colonization affect society and culture?
• Space weaponry laws (and how they affect space debris clearance)
• Military vs. civilian space divides
• How Earth imaging companies like Planet should handle privacy or security issues
• Should countries try for self-sufficiency in space at greater expense
• How should the US respond if China goes for the moon again?
• Expanding commercial crew?
• Deep Space Gateway pro/con
• Planetary protection issues (e.g. Europa science?)

Other great places to start:

• http://spacenews.com
• http://space.com
• https://phys.org/space-news/
• https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space
• http://spacedaily.com
• Any other reputable news sources (Newsweek, Forbes, Popular Science, LA/NY Times, etc)