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Can Game Theory Help Clear Space Debris?

The article discusses using Game Theory to attempt to clean up space debris. Space debris is caused by fragments broken off of ageing satellites or used rocket launchers, and increase every time two pieces collide and break into smaller pieces. Space debris the size of 10 cm in diameter can be a significant risk to entire spacecrafts and satellites. So far, governments and business have not taken action to address the space debris problem, despite the major damage it can cause. However, these governments and businesses, along with national space agencies and private satellite and communications companies, are all interested in reducing the space debris in orbit. If one organization removes the debris, everyone working in space will benefit. Unfortunately, removing the debris is expensive and very complicated. Therefore, the apparent best strategy for these businesses and agencies is to wait for somebody else to take care of the debris. This would allow for a cleaner orbit in space without the expense of actually clearing the space debris. If every business chooses this strategy, the amount of space debris will increase and eventually cause a cascade of collisions.

The author of the article is attempting to apply Game Theory to a real-world challenge caused by space debris. The companies and business who are affected by the space debris are the players. The two strategies possible for these players are to clean up the space debris, or to do nothing about the space debris. The article discusses how the space debris problem is an example of the “tragedy of the commons.” This situation is when players act in their best interest and over-use a resource until it is no longer useful to anyone, leading to higher costs for each player. I find it interesting how the author presents the space debris problem as a game where the outcome for each player is dependent on the actions of all the players in the game. It is important to notice that the best outcome of an entire game is not always the greatest payoff strategy. The author is hoping to model and analyze the situation using game theory. This model could possibly predict the Nash Equilibrium, or the payoff each business is willing to receive for cleaning up part of the debris and preventing a long-term risk. I think that it is very important for people like this author to raise awareness about the space debris problem to the companies and governments. A solution founded through Game Theory could help to save lives and negotiate with the businesses that space debris impacts.

http://phys.org/news/2015-11-space-debris-game-theory.html

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