COLLEGE EXTENSION · 60 MINUTES

Who protects a shared orbit?

Goal: Develop a policy proposal that separates evidence, incentives, and implementation limits.

Frame · 10 minutes

Choose end-of-mission reliability, removal of existing debris, or disclosure of sustainability practices. Identify stakeholders and their incentives.

Investigate · 20 minutes

Read ESA Clean Space and Space Sustainability Rating. Find one additional primary source. Record dates and distinguish supported claims from uncertainty.

Write · 20 minutes

Draft a 300–500 word brief covering the problem, a proposed incentive or requirement, who implements it, who pays, one unintended consequence, and a measurable outcome.

Peer review · 10 minutes

Exchange briefs. Identify an unsupported assertion and a practical barrier. Revise your proposal in response.

Assessment

Score each 0–2: clarity, evidence, feasibility, tradeoffs, and measurable outcomes. Maximum 10 points. This is an introductory exercise, not a statement of current law.

Sources and further reading

ESA Clean Space · Secure World Foundation

Original introductory activity from Space Conservancy. Draft educational resource; not reviewed or endorsed by the linked organizations. No formal curriculum standards alignment is claimed.