agile, mission model, corporate innovation, customer development, h4d, h4dip, hacking for diplomacy, lean, lean launchpad, lean startup, stanford, steve blank, state department

1. Project “Steer Clear”
102 Total Interviews
Challenge:
How can we stop space
collisions from making
space unusable?
Team Space Evaders
Our plan:
New method to evaluate
debris creation.
Sponsor: Amber Charlesworth, Office of Space and Advanced Technology

2. Kate Boudreau
Junior, Biomedical
Computation
boudreau.kate@gmail.com
Background:
Bioinformatic
research
Expertise:
Biocomputation
Tyler Dammann
Junior, Computer
Science
tylerdammann@gmail.com
Background:
Software, computer
science
Expertise:
Technology, data
Dave Gabler
Masters, Business/
Public Policy
davesgabler@gmail.com
Background:
Air Force, business
Expertise:
Strategy, aerospace,
management
Matthew Kaseman
Freshman, Aerospace
Engineering
kaseman.matt@gmail.com
Background: Army,
gov’t contracting
Expertise:
Engineering
implementation
Team Space Evaders

3. Increasing # of satellites
Space debris threatens
critical infrastructure
(GPS, communications, etc)
The Challenge
Increasing collisions
More debris

4. Interviewed over 100 stakeholders
Mapped the status quo
Built simple prototypes to test our ideas
Lean methodology

5. First industry process map
Focused on data flow in the
collision avoidance system

6. The Path to Collisions
Tracking Modeling Warnings Response
“This will be an eye-opener to many
people!”
- Amber, State Department

7. Original Hypotheses - Tracking
1) Collision warnings based
on estimates only
GPS
position
Observed
position
We can improve avoidance capability through:
- Communication - Data Sharing
2) Satellites know
precisely where they are
Solution!

8. We tested many ideas
Worldwide Operator
phone book
GPS data-sharing
Define debris size/shape
(helps prediction accuracy)
Small satellite
ID hardware

9. Answer #1:
This is a small part of the problem

10. Answer #2:
Satellite operator decision matrix
Warning?
Maneuver?
< 1% chanceY
N
N Y
< .01% chance < .01% chance
< 1% chance
but now YOU
caused it
< 1% chance
“My chances are no better if I move, so why
would I assume the responsibility?”
- Commercial Satellite operator

11. Data sharing isn’t the problem - technical uncertainty
makes the whole process unreliable
The underlying problem?
Collision warnings are only
“in the ballpark”
Operators need MUCH more detail

12. “This insight will frame our approach to this
problem and has given us a new way forward
with the international community”
- Deputy Assistant Secretary

13. The Path to Collisions
Tracking Modeling Warnings Response
Mission
Planning

14. Too much decentralized, limited
accountability decision-making
Space as a Tragedy of the Commons
Cost/schedule limitations can
prevent debris mitigation efforts
Vague debris mitigation standards =
significant design leeway

15. Fix the Commons Problem
Make choices and
consequences transparent and
accountable
Debris Responsibility Score

16. Final MVP: Debris Responsibility Score
Time in Space Size of Object Congestion of Orbit
Risk of On-Orbit BreakupPlanned Mission Debris

17. “If you can show me it
works, I would use it.”
-U.S. Government
Regulator
“This needs to be
presented at the next
satellite operators
conference”
-International satellite
operator
“I’ve wanted to do
this myself for
years!”
-Leading industry
expert/journalist

18. Iteration/
peer review
Best
Practice
Community
Standard
Deployment: Iteration & Acceptance

19. Deployment: Expected Use Cases
NGO monitors tradable
credits
international
policy

20. Summary
Instead of avoiding as many debris items as
operators choose to put in space...
...Our rating will work to prevent new debris from
getting there at all