The political sustainability of space exploration

The swiftly changing policy environment introduces significant uncertainty into the design of technical systems that rely on public resources. Politics necessarily impacts technical design as requirements change to suit different needs. Simple game-theoretic models may be used to provide insights into resource allocation dynamics between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Congress. This paper utilizes game theory, supplemented by Brams’ Theory of Moves, to model the process by which stakeholders within NASA and the US Congress may arrive at an affordable and politically sustainable funding level on a yearly basis. In doing so, this paper advances a game-theoretic definition of political sustainability.