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
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
Martian dust storms and atmospheric tides cause rapid density shifts that alter entry trajectories and threaten landers. Real-time satellite atmosphere sensing and adaptive guidance systems are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
atmospheric
entry
density
high-density
planetary
prediction
inaccurate
due
variable
upper-atmosphere
systems
real
time
society-governance
detecting
sensing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current life support distillation systems build up volatile organics and salts, degrading filtration membranes quickly. Next-generation electrochemical and enzymatic water purification systems are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
water
recycling
human
sweat
urine
space
yields
toxic
trace
contaminants
systems
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
whether
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Because operators on Earth must check every step, rovers cover only meters per day on distant worlds. Fully autonomous, vision-guided AI navigation system operating locally on edge hardware is needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
rovers
robotic
planetary
move
far
too
slowly
over
unfamiliar
terrain
autonomous
lack
systems
algorithms
decentralized
satellite
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Variable space weather causes unpredictable upper atmosphere expansion, creating atmospheric drag that alters satellite orbits without warning. Space situational awareness requires real-time upper-atmosphere mapping.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
precise
continuous
monitoring
earth
thermosphere
ionosphere
mass
density
space
enabling
society-governance
technologies
systems
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
To achieve high efficiency, nuclear thermal engines must run hydrogen propellant at temperatures over 2,500 K, which corrodes reactor cores. Development of advanced ultra-high-temperature carbide and nitride nuclear ceramics is vital.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
nuclear
thermal
propulsion
reactors
suffer
rapid
degradation
fuel
elements
extreme
lack
science-space
systems
continuous
verification
solutions
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Missions passing from the inner solar system to the deep outer cold face severe thermal swings that degrade instruments. Variable emissivity smart materials and active thermal fluid loops are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
thermal
active
interplanetary
spacecraft
lack
lightweight
control
systems
extreme
environments
science-space
long
storage
whether
materials
designs
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Collecting samples from Venus or deep Martian canyons requires multi-stage rockets launching autonomously from foreign surfaces. Lightweight planetary ascent vehicles and automated orbital rendezvous systems must be built.
science-space
global-unspecified
systems
planetary
lack
autonomous
sample
return
missions
high-gravity
worlds
collecting
society-governance
technology-computing
climate-environment
economics-resources
ensuring
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Micrometeorite punctures or radiation micro-cracking can cause catastrophic slow pressure leaks in space habitats. Elastomeric polymers embedded with self-healing microcapsules need to be validated in orbit.
science-space
global-unspecified
self-healing
space
lack
autonomous
materials
inflatable
habitat
walls
micrometeorite
punctures
whether
philosophy-ethics
know
systems
fully
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most legacy satellites lack standardized refueling ports or mechanical docking interfaces, forcing them to burn out unnecessarily. Universal commercial servicing ports and robotic grapple protocols must be adopted globally.
science-space
global-unspecified
servicing
refueling
in-orbit
standards
different
satellite
manufacturers
not
exist
ports
climate-environment
systems
small
cubesats
lack
propulsion
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Vitamins B and C degrade rapidly in packaged space foods, leaving long-haul Mars crews at risk of malnutrition. In-situ cellular agriculture and automated microbial nutrient synthesizers are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
current
food
systems
lose
nutritional
value
acceptability
years
storage
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
health-biology
fully
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Radiation-induced genetic mutations build up silently, increasing crew cancer risks on long space missions. Handheld micro-sequencers capable of real-time DNA/RNA error profiling are required in orbit.
science-space
global-unspecified
real-time
capable
dna
lack
biosensors
detecting
mutation
rates
astronauts
during
systems
real
time
society-governance
responding
predicting
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Miniaturized satellites often burn out early because standard thrusters are too large or heavy for 1U-6U form factors. Micro-electrospray and green propellant systems must be scaled up for commercial CubeSat fleets.
science-space
global-unspecified
systems
small
cubesats
lack
propulsion
capable
major
orbital
plane
changes
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
economics-resources
early
real
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Thickening Mars' atmosphere or cooling Venus requires releasing greenhouse gases or solar shades on a planetary scale. Advanced bio-engineered extremophiles or orbital mirror swarms must be modeled and tested.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
proven
operational
mechanism
planetary-scale
atmospheric
terraforming
thickening
mars
atmosphere
science-space
lack
planetary
high
solar
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Traditional star trackers struggle when solar glare or local dust plumes obstruct sensor fields during maneuvers. Pulsar-based navigation systems utilizing ultra-precise atomic X-ray timing signals are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
navigation
deep-space
optical
loses
accuracy
spacecraft
travel
far
recognizable
stars
space
timing
secure
based
after
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Earth's shifting atmosphere blurs astronomical imagery, requiring expensive adaptive optics systems with limited fields of view. Next-generation artificial laser guide star arrays and photonic lanterns are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
ground-based
telescopes
suffer
atmospheric
turbulence
limits
angular
resolution
earth
shifting
high
density
entry
atmosphere
ground
optical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Without gravity, liquid fuels float randomly inside tanks, causing air bubbles to enter fuel pumps during orbital refilling. Scalable fluid-settling systems and bladderless zero-g fuel transfer ports must be built.
science-space
global-unspecified
transfer
in-orbit
propellant
between
moving
spacecraft
microgravity
unstable
fuel
gravity
haven
whether
climate-environment
make
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Capturing dead satellites or space debris requires catching uncontrolled objects without causing collision fragments. Advanced computer vision, robotic capture arms, and net-based soft capture systems are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
objects
autonomous
docking
between
non-cooperative
tumbling
remains
high
risk
systems
society-governance
designs
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Converting Mars' 95% CO2 atmosphere into plastics, methane, and industrial reagents requires complex catalysts that foul quickly. High-efficiency solid oxide electrolysis systems optimized for dirty ambient gas are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
industrial
cannot
reliably
synthesize
high-purity
chemicals
martian
atmospheric
carbon
dioxide
methane
systems
society-governance
fast
growing
high
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Closed space station biomes combined with radiation select for rapid bacterial mutation, risking astronaut health. Autonomous metagenomic sequencing systems must continuously monitor station surfaces for bio-threats.
science-space
global-unspecified
drug-resistant
station
monitor
space
cannot
long-term
microbial
mutations
yield
multi-drug
resistant
systems
support
missions
medical
psychological
