Jacob Haqq Misra

Senior Research Investigator at
Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

I am an astrobiologist who is interested in understanding the origin, distribution, and future of life. My research includes the study of planetary habitability, extraterrestrial, life, environmental ethics, and space settlement.

My book Sovereign Mars is now available

"An important book. Someday soon, it may provide a legal blueprint for humanity’s first settlements on another world." —H-Net Reviews


"Haqq-Misra provides unusual detail on space exploration history and offers reviews of international conventions/treaties governing, for example the law of the sea, the moon, space, and Antarctica."—Choice


"As we enter the New Space Age, one of many far-reaching questions is whether Mars should become a sovereign and autonomous planetary state or follow some other governance model. The mind reels at the political and scientific implications applied on a planetary scale, but in this timely and original volume Jacob Haqq-Misra addresses the issues of Martian governance solidly, passionately, and readably. This book constitutes a significant contribution to the rather sparse literature on the societal implications of space exploration." Steven J. Dick, former NASA Chief Historian