is the study of life in the universe and of the terrestrial environments and planetary and stellar processes that support it. To study astrobiology is to ask questions that cut across multiple disciplines and could take lifetimes to answer. The field gathers expertise from a host of other disciplines including biology, chemistry, geology, oceanography, atmospheric and Earth science, aeronautical engineering and of course astronomy itself.

These questions also include: What can Earth鈥檚 own species, and its chemical past, tell us about how to spot life elsewhere? How did the first cells arise? Can we map the surfaces of exoplanets? How can we motivate students to be curious about space?

Every two years, researchers gather from around the world to share and discuss their latest findings in a weeklong conference. Called for short, this year鈥檚 conference will be held June 24-28 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue. It鈥檚 the biggest meeting of astrobiologists in the world and dozens of 91探花 researchers will attend and participate.

Public attitudes have warmed greatly toward astrobiology in the 21^st century, prompted by exoplanet discoveries and exploration of other worlds in the solar system. Study of extraterrestrial life remains a hopeful science wryly aware that, as an old joke goes, it has yet to prove that its very subject matter exists.

The 91探花founded its own program in 1999, involving roughly 30 faculty and about as many students a year. “The program is a leader in both training the next generation of astrobiologists and in fundamental astrobiology research,” said , 91探花professor of astronomy and principal investigator for the UW-based , which explores computer models of planetary environments and will be the subject of a .

“The Astrobiology Science Conference is the biggest meeting of astrobiologists in the world, and this year, members of the 91探花Astrobiology Program are playing a major role in conference organization, as well as presenting our research at the meeting,” said Meadows, who chaired the science committee for AcSciCon2019.

Here are several 91探花presentations and papers scheduled for the weeklong conference. Though the lead presenter is listed here only, most projects involve the work of several colleagues.

• A study of water vapor and ice particles emitting from the plume on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, leading to a better understanding of the moon’s subsurface ocean. With Earth and space sciences doctoral student and colleagues. ()
• An examination of whether the coming James Webb Space Telescope will be able to detect atmospheres for all worlds in the intriguing, seven-planet system TRAPPIST-1, and finding that clouds and water vapor in the planets’ atmospheres might make such study more challenging. With astronomy and astrobiology doctoral student and colleagues. ()
• Description of a new open-source computer software package called VPLanet that simulates a wide range of planetary systems across billions of years, simulating atmospheres, orbits and stellar phenomena that can affect a planet’s ability to sustain liquid water on its surface, which is key to life. With Rory Barnes and colleagues. ()
• An exploration of how viruses and hosts co-evolved, enabling microbial life in extremely cold brines. With oceanography professor ().
• Modeling Earth’s atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago and the effect of iron-rich micrometeorites that rained down, melted and interacted with the surrounding gases, leading to a better understanding of carbon dioxide levels at that time. With Earth and space sciences graduate student and colleagues. ()
• A presentation on the 91探花Astronomy Department’s successful outreach to students through its that visits K-12 schools, enabling them to create shows of their own. With astronomy research assistant professor and several colleagues. and .)
• An exploration of how to determine if oxygen detected on an exoplanet is really produced by life, using high-resolution planetary spectra from ground-based telescopes. With , an astronomy doctoral student, and colleagues. ()
• A discussion of how studying a giant Pacific Octopus might help us learn more about different forms of cognition and better know and understand life beyond Earth 鈥� if we ever find it. With , a doctoral student in psychology. ()
• A study of microbial life in extremely cold brines within unfrozen subsurface areas of permafrost, and their possible relevance to similar environments on Mars or icy moons in the solar system. With , a doctoral student in biological oceanography, and colleagues. (.)

Many other 91探花faculty members will participate, either with reports on their own research or in support of colleagues or graduate students. These include ESS professors , , , , , astronomy professors , and , among others.

Astrobiologists such as Sullivan point out that the field鈥檚 focus and scientific benefit is about more than simply hunting for life, though that is the key motivator.

“It鈥檚 about thinking about life in a cosmic context. And about the origin and evolution of life,” Sullivan said.

“Even if you only care about Earth life, astrobiology is a viable 鈥� fundamental, I would say 鈥� interdisciplinary science that thrives independently of the existence of extraterrestrial life.鈥�

Three 91探花 astrobiologists will discuss their research and introduce the new 3-D IMAX movie “” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the PACCAR Theater of the Pacific Science Center.

Speaking will be 91探花doctoral students of astronomy and of physics as well as , research associate professor of Earth and space sciences and associate director of the UW’s . All three are affiliated with the 91探花.

Harnett uses physics-based computer programs to study how radiation and the sun’s magnetic fields influence the upper atmospheres and surfaces of planets and moons in the solar system. She investigates the evolutions of these environments over time, and how current conditions may affect how robotic probes, or even humans, could explore such worlds.

Morris studies stars and planets with observations from ground- and space-based telescopes. He was a co-author on UW-led and has researched and “transit timing variations” as well. Styczinski uses magnetic fields to study the icy crust of Jupiter’s moons, looking for places where life may be found. He was a in the 2016 91探花Science Now lecture series at Town Hall Seattle.

As notes from producer December Media state, “The Search for Life in Space” takes the viewer on a journey “from the depths of the Pacific Ocean into the far reaches of space” to show how astrobiologists are searching for life beyond Earth.

“With cutting-edge imagery from the world’s most powerful telescopes, (the film) takes audiences from the surface of Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, to the extreme lava fields of Hawaii and thermal vents deep beneath the sea.” Astrobiologists look in such harsh environments for clues to how life takes hold, on Earth or perhaps elsewhere.

The IMAX documentary is narrated by film star Malcolm McDowell. It features Cornell astronomer , who is director of the .

The film was produced in association with Film Victoria Australia and Swinburne University of Technology. It is part of the Pacific Science Center’s series of events.

are $5 and doors open at 6:40 p.m. A Facebook page for the event is .

Watch the film’s trailer below:

What are the policies of global rising powers regarding the use of orbital and outer space, and what are the implications of those policies for international cooperation?

Doctoral students at the briefed a gathering of space industry, media and government representatives on such topics in a capstone event at the 91探花 held June 8.

The students are fellows of the Jackson School’s , led by , professor and associate director of the Jackson School, who convened the space industry stakeholders to hear short reports on their work. Fellows reported on the space-related activities of China, India, Russia, South Korea, Israel and the European Union.

The student presentation were as follows:

Seonhee Kim reported on structural reforms and hoped-for modernizations in the Russian space industry and its new state space corporation, , organized in 2015.
Deep Pal spoke about a comprehensive space policy that India is drafting with input from commercial entities.
Clint Work discussed the rapid, state-led development of South Korea’s space program over the past 25 years.
Indra Ekmanis briefed the group on how European space policymakers have concentrated on data collection and how the European Space Agency’s space policy decisions are motivated in large part by socio-ecological concerns.
Oded Oron reported on Israel, saying that country views space as an avenue for financial growth and sees investment in its civil space industry as part of its national branding as a “start-up” nation.
Muyang Chen, who assisted in organizing the event, spoke about China’s burgeoning state-owned space industry and how reforms will partially privatize such activities and transform military-use technologies to civilian use. She said these changes may provide opportunities for private entities to enter the Chinese aerospace market, though the Chinese government will maintain strong control over the industry.

Pekkanen, speaking on behalf of Joshua Williams, who could not attend, discussed Japan’s space activities, saying its government regulatory policies need to begin allowing commercial development. Japan, she said, has potential in the creation of small satellites and work with big data and machine learning and has ambitions to be more than a “junior partner” in world space endeavors.

All the student presenters are doctoral students in international studies. Also participating were about two dozen representatives of the space industry, media, government and academia. These included Vulcan Inc., Aerojet Rocketdyne, the Museum of Flight, the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, Washington State University, the state of Washington, the Northwest Science Writers Association and GeekWire.

On hand also, bringing her NASA experience to the discussion, was Earth and space sciences doctoral student , a former astronaut who flew on the space shuttle’s STS-131 mission, April 5 to 20, 2010, a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

After the presentations, Pekkanen led a lively discussion of the challenges the various countries聽 face as they reach out to space, which touched on history, economics, infrastructure and the Pacific Northwest as a growing hub for space-related industry.

91探花faculty participating were Pekkanen as well as , research associate professor of Earth and space sciences and associate director of the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium; , Jackson School affiliate professor and principal senior fellow with the Space Security Initiative; and , professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

The Space Security Initiative, called SSI for short, is part of the Jackson School’s , which is funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The initiative works to bridge the gap between academics and practitioners in space and related industries. Starting in April, junior SSI fellows have researched and posted at the Jackson School website.

“Seattle is a new hub for space,” Pekkanen said after the meeting. “And we need to start bringing together all kinds of public and private stakeholders to better understand what is happening here in a global context, and to take the Pacific Northwest forward as space realities change worldwide. So we are taking those initial formative steps with SSI, and we will go from there.”

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For more information about the Space Security Initiative, contact Pekkanen at 206-543-6148 or smp1@uw.edu.