background
When we think of space, we think of adventure, technological advancement, discovery, and overall positive things (Tutton, 2021). We do not seem to think of the possibilities that crimes inevitability will take place in outer space. Space crime sounds futuristic, and encompasses the “giggle factor”: the invasion of an alien species in usually the United States that need to be stopped come to mind rather than disputes on the International Space Station. Understanding how crimes can take place in outer space and how people respond to them will put us front and centre of an emerging field.
How to understand space crime poses a challenge. With this project, we aim to see how we can study space crime on earth. One way in which we can do so is virtual reality (VR). With VR you can create any environment possible. We have seen the possibilities of VR to understand crime, in investigating how people would escape a building (Arias et al, 2019), mimic the feelings of solitary confinement (Clifford & White, 2020) or let burglars roam around virtual neighbourhoods to safely discover what deters them (Van Sintemaartensdijk et al, 2021). Using virtual simulations for space missions is on its way (https://medium.com/@humanspaceprogram/how-important-are-space-simulations-2d735b0f04df).
In the thesis you have the opportunity the work on an exiting new topic, where the sky is the limit. We can for example look at the perceptions that people have on space crime and how we can convince them that this is an important topic to think about. We can also look into when people think about space crime scenarios as being something out of a science-fiction movie and when they consider this a serious topic. You own input into the topic of the thesis is thus valued and highly appreciated, and there are more potential topics within space crime you can pursuit.
Research questions
1. What do people know about space crime?
2. Can we change perception of space crime?
3. Is VR a suitable method to study crimes in outer space?
4. When do people start seeing space crime as a realistic crime, rather than a sci-fi occurrence?
Type of research
In-person experiments (e.g. using VR), quantitative research, potential qualitative research as additional possibilities.
Keywords
Space crime; VR; outer space; space criminology
Information
If you are interested in this topic, please contact Steven Watson via s.j.watson@utwente.nl. The assignment is open to two students.
Start
· Available any time
Literature
· Arias, S., Fahy, R., Ronchi, E., Nilsson, D., Frantzich, H., & Wahlqvist, J. (2019). Forensic virtual reality: investigating individual behavior in the MGM grand fire. Fire Safety Journal, 109, 102861.
· Clifford, K., & White, R. (2020). Mediated representations of prisoner experience and public empathy. The Palgrave handbook of incarceration in popular culture, 265-287.
· Eski, Y. (2025). ‘Houston, we have a problem’: The paucity and promise of an empirical space criminology. International Journal of Criminology, 12(1), 19-47.
· Tutton, R. (2021). Sociotechnical imaginaries and techno-optimism: examining outer space utopias of Silicon Valley. Science as Culture, 30(3), 416-439.
· Van Sintemaartensdijk, I., Van Gelder, J. L., Van Prooijen, J. W., Nee, C., Otte, M., & Van Lange, P. (2021). Mere presence of informal guardians deters burglars: A virtual reality study. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 17, 657-676.