Mariam Naseem

Several icy moons and dwarf planets appear to have hosted subsurface liquid water. Liquid water intruding upwards into the icy outer shells of these worlds freezes, forming ice and (from ocean solutes) non-ice solids. Here, we model concentrated aqueous solutions below 273 K to simulate the compositional evolution of freezing spherical intrusions. Starting solutions are based on five previously reported compositional end members for Europa's ocean. For moderate-pH end members dominated by… Show more

Several icy moons and dwarf planets appear to have hosted subsurface liquid water. Liquid water intruding upwards into the icy outer shells of these worlds freezes, forming ice and (from ocean solutes) non-ice solids. Here, we model concentrated aqueous solutions below 273 K to simulate the compositional evolution of freezing spherical intrusions. Starting solutions are based on five previously reported compositional end members for Europa's ocean. For moderate-pH end members dominated by chloride, sulfate, and/or carbonate, the solids formed include Ca-, Mg-, and Na-sulfates and -carbonates, as well as Na- and K-chlorides. For silica-rich, high-pH end members, abundant amorphous silica forms with, potentially, similarly abundant NaOH and KOH. We further develop a new numerical model to compute the spatial distribution of the formed solids and residual brine as freezing progresses. If non-ice solids settle to the bottom, their deposits tend to have stacked hourglass shapes, widening each time the crystallization temperature of a new solid is reached. We discuss the applicability of this model to vertical fractures and global freezing of a subsurface ocean. These results inform (i) how compositional heterogeneities may affect the thermophysical properties of ice shells, which in turn influence convective and cryovolcanic transport, (ii) the compatibility of brine pockets with physicochemical conditions suitable for microbial life, and (iii) possible measurements of compositional heterogeneities within ice shells by spacecraft such as NASA's Europa Clipper and ESA's JUICE missions. The methodology developed here is applicable to other ice-covered ocean worlds. Show less

Sustainable human presence on the Moon necessitates the need for a lunar communications infrastructure. Multiple private and government missions are focusing on various communication elements to support future lunar orbiters and landers. A key component enabling these plans will be the communication links between the Earth and the Moon, established through data relay satellites, as well as the corresponding ground infrastructure required to disseminate data to end-users. In this piece, our… Show more

Sustainable human presence on the Moon necessitates the need for a lunar communications infrastructure. Multiple private and government missions are focusing on various communication elements to support future lunar orbiters and landers. A key component enabling these plans will be the communication links between the Earth and the Moon, established through data relay satellites, as well as the corresponding ground infrastructure required to disseminate data to end-users. In this piece, our focus will be on the “last-mile” of a lunar communications network i.e. the components required to deliver data to end-users in cislunar space. To conceptualize business and operating models for this future infrastructure, we will draw on learnings from Earth-based communication analogies. Show less

Global climate change is one of the most prominent issues of our time. We are living in an unprecedented ‘Anthropocene’ era defined by human activities having a dominant influence on the environment and climate. According to most-cited indicators, global average temperature has increased by approximately 1.4F since the early 20th century. Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its devastating impacts is listed as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal towards a Space2030… Show more

Global climate change is one of the most prominent issues of our time. We are living in an unprecedented ‘Anthropocene’ era defined by human activities having a dominant influence on the environment and climate. According to most-cited indicators, global average temperature has increased by approximately 1.4F since the early 20th century. Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its devastating impacts is listed as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal towards a Space2030 agenda. Global temperature and other key indicators of climate change like weather patterns, sea level, terrain and atmospheric pollution are monitored through different space-based solutions including satellites. While satellite-based Earth Observation data to mitigate climate change is abundant, a major hurdle to achieving widespread use from this data is the difficulty of information from useful integrated datasets reaching non-traditional customers in underserved markets. This session will explore the impact of climate change to the specific user group of African farmers highlighted through activities of necessary ‘translator’ institutions, providing concrete examples which underscore the need for open, transparent satellite data and the importance of local capacity building and regional partnerships to adequately serve local communities through satellite-based applications. However, the notion of transparency and emphasis on capacity building in developing countries is also challenged, where it takes the place of focusing on these efforts rather than on increasing climate action and ambition, from those who most contribute to the problem, particularly in western countries. Special attention will be given to the programs and applications utilizing space data leveraged by international stakeholders, in cooperation with local communities, to advance the agenda on sustainability and development in the African region. Show less

Numerous studies have found evidence of convection and cryovolcanism throughout the outer solar system, suggesting transport processes occur in the ice shells of ocean worlds like Europa. There are
multiple science motivations for understanding transport through ice shells, including gaining insight into how material is delivered to the surface and informing the connection between surface expression and subsurface conditions to unveil potential indicators of habitability and signs of life… Show more

Numerous studies have found evidence of convection and cryovolcanism throughout the outer solar system, suggesting transport processes occur in the ice shells of ocean worlds like Europa. There are
multiple science motivations for understanding transport through ice shells, including gaining insight into how material is delivered to the surface and informing the connection between surface expression and subsurface conditions to unveil potential indicators of habitability and signs of life. Transport processes hinge on thermo-mechanical properties of ice shell materials, which depend on the shell’s composition. The chemistry and compositional structure of (predominantly water) ice shells remain poorly understood. To pave the way for investigation of ice shell compositions and how these affect transport processes, we sought to determine possible spatial distributions of impurities in ice shells resulting from the freezing of liquid intrusions by leveraging recent improvements in geochemical models for freezing solutions. Show less

On the 10th of May 2021, SGAC officially approved and adopted the following three documents from the EAGLE Team: a Lunar Governance Report, an Executive Summary and a Lunar Manifesto. The Report discusses the current status of the lunar policy landscape and presents EAGLE’s proposal for its way forward: the global development of a Lunar Governance Charter. The purpose of this instrument is to operationalize the fundamental principles of international space law and enable the incremental… Show more

On the 10th of May 2021, SGAC officially approved and adopted the following three documents from the EAGLE Team: a Lunar Governance Report, an Executive Summary and a Lunar Manifesto. The Report discusses the current status of the lunar policy landscape and presents EAGLE’s proposal for its way forward: the global development of a Lunar Governance Charter. The purpose of this instrument is to operationalize the fundamental principles of international space law and enable the incremental development of new ones. Show less

The resolution adopted at the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology in Ethiopia in 2019 stated, inter alia, that African youth should be central to the development of the African space agenda. This emphasis on young people as priority future space decision makers and implementers is a transitional and transformational endeavor that represents a change in the African outer space ecosystem. Utilizing the Space Governance Innovation Contest (the Contest)—an interplanetary… Show more

The resolution adopted at the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology in Ethiopia in 2019 stated, inter alia, that African youth should be central to the development of the African space agenda. This emphasis on young people as priority future space decision makers and implementers is a transitional and transformational endeavor that represents a change in the African outer space ecosystem. Utilizing the Space Governance Innovation Contest (the Contest)—an interplanetary initiative organized by Arizona State University as a case study, this article analyzes the pursuit, role, and training of African youth as transitional and transformative within the outer space industry. By seeking ideas from this nontraditional source of space policy ideas, there is not only the possibility for greater innovation regarding the current space governance regime but also the prospect of partially remedying the American/Euro-centric bias that has plagued international law and space law. This article also serves as the lead article to this special issue of the New Space journal, which features the top contributions from the contest, and other youth submissions as well as contributions from seasoned commentators. These submissions grouped as “Voices of the New Space Generation” represent the first time these African youth have written about space topics for an international journal. This article describes the process taken to get the contest participants to the stage of presenting their arguments to lawyers at the American Society of International Law and publishing in this special issue. Show less