About the Program
Offering Innovative and Transdisciplinary Courses
The Space Security and Safety (SSS) program at the Strauss Center explores the many issues that arise at the intersection of security, technology, and policy in light of both government and commercial space programs, including but not limited to the challenges of dealing with an increasingly-crowded orbital domain.
The SSS program offered by Strauss Center provides students with transdisciplinary courses and opportunities for scholarship. The program sits at the junction of hard and soft sciences, as well as law, business, and policy studies, and is engaged with the most timely and relevant space-related issues.
The goals of the program are to develop and offer innovative and transdisciplinary courses; to provide guidance and support to participating students from across campus; to create a pipeline of Brumley fellows going forward; to produce high-impact scholarship (especially but not only as an element of the Brumley SSS program requirements); and to deepen ties amongst academia, industry, NGOs, and the public sector in this area.
See the Texas Space Law & Policy Society's website for more information for students interested in space law and policy.
Featured ITEMS
Courses
With respect to courses: We aim to offer a steady roster of courses, with an eventual target of two per semester. Some may be “regular” full-semester courses, others may be “short courses” on the model of the Spring 2019 sustainable orbital activities course. Additional topics may include one focused on the national security and international relations aspects of orbital activity. These may be taught be current faculty, adjunct faculty, or visiting faculty or fellows.
Requirements and Activities
Brumley Fellows in the SSS program fulfill a writing requirement each year, and faculty assist the Fellows in making available a list of appropriate journals and reviews for publication. Additional SSS activities include support for internships with Texas-based industry partners, including broader internships that may be possible during the summer.
The SSS program also funds student and coach’s participation in competitions such as the Lachs Moot Competition sponsored by the International Institute of Space Law.
Space Security and Safety News
Speakers and Conferences
The Space Security and Safety programs brings outstanding speakers to campus, both on a one-off basis and as part of an annual conference.
The Space Traffic Management (STM) conference will be continued as THE conference affiliated with the Strauss SSS program. This is another available platform for student scholarship and faculty-supervised research.
