Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Moon dust particles are sharp, electrostatically charged, and easily adhere to spacesuits and machinery. Electrostatic repulsion systems and dust-tolerant mechanical seals are urgently needed for lunar operations.
science-space
global-unspecified
lunar
dust
mechanical
regolith
causes
rapid
wear
atmospheric
contamination
closed
lack
systems
climate-environment
space
positioning
like
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Identifying traces of methane, ozone, and water vapor simultaneously on rocky extrasolar planets remains at the limit of current telescopes. Space-based starshades and high-contrast coronagraphs are needed to resolve atmospheric details.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
direct
spectroscopic
confirmation
biosignature
gases
earth-sized
exoplanet
atmospheres
identifying
technology-computing
know
haven
climate-environment
structure
internal
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Hydrogen and oxygen boil off due to solar radiation in orbit, prohibiting long-duration storage for deep space stages. Advanced active cryocooling, sunshields, and zero-boil-off insulation technologies are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
boil
off
storage
cryogenic
liquid
propellants
rapidly
during
long-term
orbital
climate-environment
long
society-governance
safe
technologies
smallholder
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
These moons host liquid water oceans under miles of ice, warmed by tidal forces, but we lack robotic tools capable of melting through kilometers of crust to sample liquid water without introducing Earth contamination.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
oceans
moons
not
know
life
exist
sub-surface
icy
like
europa
water
whether
don
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
urban
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Millimeter-sized meteoroids travel at tens of kilometers per second and pose catastrophic puncture risks to satellites and spacecraft hulls. Ultra-sensitive impact sensors and wide-field detection arrays are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
cannot
precisely
map
predict
hyper-velocity
micro-meteoroid
swarms
inner
solar
orbits
climate-environment
reliably
satellites
grids
flares
disrupt
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current space stations must re-supply metabolic consumables, water filtration media, and trace contaminant gases from Earth. Fully regenerative bio-synthetic life support systems are essential for long-term lunar and Martian outposts.
science-space
global-unspecified
life
support
systems
100
closed-loop
environmental
control
eclss
not
exist
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Next-generation telescopes and gigawatt-scale space solar power arrays are too large to fit in single rocket fairings. Highly coordinated multi-robot assembly systems operating in microgravity need to be developed and standardized.
science-space
global-unspecified
assembly
large
space
lack
scalable
mechanisms
autonomous
robotic
structures
next-generation
society-governance
systems
microgravity
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
FRBs unleash as much energy in milliseconds as the Sun emits in days, yet their origins—whether magnetars or exotic energetic events—are unconfirmed. Resolving this will yield new insights into extreme astrophysics and cosmic plasma.
science-space
global-unspecified
frbs
exact
physical
trigger
mechanism
fast
radio
bursts
remains
unsolved
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
know
don
resolved
open
United States, North America
The Coronal Heating Problem violates intuition: the outer solar atmosphere reaches millions of degrees while the surface is ~5,500°C. Solving this requires understanding magnetic reconnection and Alfvén wave dissipation mechanisms.
climate-environment
north-america
united-states
solar
surface
corona
thousands
times
hotter
sun
don
know
coronal
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cephalad fluid shifts in microgravity increase intracranial pressure, leading to structural eye deformation and vision impairment. Non-invasive, flight-ready therapies or fluid-redistribution suits are urgently required.
science-space
global-unspecified
vision
spaceflight-associated
neuro-ocular
syndrome
sans
impairs
long-duration
astronaut
cephalad
fluid
health-biology
affordable
way
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
While kinetic impactors work against predictable asteroids, long-period comets can appear with less than a year's warning. Rapid-response high-yield interception systems are needed to protect Earth from unexpected impacts.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
have
proven
way
divert
planet-threatening
comet
short-notice
trajectory
while
kinetic
systems
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
don
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
3D-printing complex structural metal components in microgravity often results in porosity and micro-cracks. We need reliable thermal controls and melt-pool monitoring for zero-g metal and composite fabrication.
science-space
global-unspecified
microgravity
in-space
additive
manufacturing
limited
fluid
dynamics
alloy
defects
metal
health-biology
fibers
defect
optical
affordable
structural
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Navigating craft and rovers on the lunar farside or in deep space relies heavily on congested Earth ground antenna networks. Scalable lunar and deep-space autonomous navigation and timing constellations are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
positioning
systems
like
gps
not
extend
moon
interplanetary
whether
philosophy-ethics
infrastructure
mathematics-logic
protection
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Space-based solar power requires transmitting multi-gigawatt microwave or laser beams safely through Earth's atmosphere. Phased array antenna precision and efficiency losses remain significant engineering bottlenecks.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
efficient
way
beam
high-power
electrical
energy
orbital
distances
space-based
climate-environment
solar
whether
haven
grid
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
General relativity governs massive scale gravity while quantum mechanics governs atomic scales, but they break down together at black hole singularities. Developing a unified Theory of Quantum Gravity is the holy grail of theoretical physics.
science-space
global-unspecified
quantum
mechanics
general
relativity
theories
remain
fundamentally
incompatible
governs
gravity
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
know
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Measurements of the cosmic microwave background yield a lower expansion rate than direct distance ladder measurements of modern galaxies. Resolving this discrepancy could reveal brand-new physics beyond the Standard Model.
science-space
global-unspecified
discrepancy
hubbel
tension
shows
critical
fast
universe
expanding
measurements
cosmic
know
dark
matter
actually
models
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Plants grown in space suffer from water-logging and oxygen starvation around roots due to absence of buoyancy-driven convection. Developing autonomous micro-fluidic aeration root systems is essential for growing fresh crops in space.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
root
systems
microgravity
prevents
normal
fluid
movement
plant
limiting
society-governance
technology-computing
ensuring
autonomous
whether
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A host star is millions to billions of times brighter than a reflecting planet, blinding optical telescopes. Next-generation space interferometers and giant optical starshades are required to resolve exoplanet oceans and continents.
science-space
global-unspecified
cannot
directly
image
surfaces
earth-like
exoplanets
due
stellar
glare
optical
asteroids
easily
detect
dark
space
deploying
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Landers currently depend on pre-mapped terrain, which leaves them vulnerable to boulders, unexpected slopes, and dust plumes during touchdown. Ultra-fast optical-LiDAR terrain-relative navigation is needed for safe pinpoint landing.
science-space
global-unspecified
landing
terrain
autonomous
real-time
rugged
unstructured
planetary
remains
high
risk
navigation
when
deep
space
optical
rovers
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Shipping structural habitat materials from Earth is cost-prohibitive. We must develop 3D-sintering or concrete binder technologies that use local soil to withstand vacuum pressure and severe thermal cycling.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
proven
way
construct
durable
air-tight
habitats
out
raw
lunar
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
don
determine
agreed
