World Solve

Astronauts lose up to 1-2% of bone mass per month in microgravity despite daily intensive physical exercise regimes. Artificial gravity habitats or gene-targeted therapeutics are needed to enable multi-year interstellar trips.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Medicines used on Earth lose potency rapidly on orbit, endangering astronauts on long multi-year Mars missions. Developing radiation-shielded drug formulations and long-shelf-life stabilizing active compounds is required.

Spaceflight suppresses T-cell activity, making astronauts vulnerable to opportunistic infections during flight. Immunomodulatory counter-measures and rapid point-of-care diagnostics are needed for space habitats.

ZBLAN optical fibers produced in space exhibit far lower light attenuation than Earth-made fibers, but manufacturing defect rates remain high. Microgravity fluid dynamics and draw-tower controls must be perfected.

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.

While microgravity (0g) is well-studied, long-term multi-generational plant reproduction under lunar (0.16g) or Martian (0.38g) gravity is unverified. Long-term surface greenhouse experiments are urgently needed.

The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for autonomous microgravity assembly of large habitats and infrastructure creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.