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Dr. Michaela Musilova

Astrobiologist | Analog astronaut | Speaker Author | Professor | Science Communicator

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A little bit about me and my goals

Hi Everyone, my name is Dr. Michaela Musilova and I’m an astrobiologist. That means that I’m searching for life in space. I’m also looking at what the limits of life are on Earth, in order to better understand what other lifeforms we could find elsewhere in the Universe.

My research has taken me from working at NASA and various observatories worldwide all the way to leading expeditions in extreme environments, such as beyond the Arctic Circle and on the summits of tall mountains. I have also been the Commander of over 30 simulated space missions to the Moon and Mars.

A big passion of mine is to teach and to share my experiences with audiences around the world through lectures, outreach activities and interviews with the media. I greatly enjoy working with people from different cultures and countries worldwide.

My mission is to make STEAM subjects, space and research more accessible to the public through my numerous projects. I also hope to empower women and underrepresented people to pursue their dreams, despite obstacles in their way. It’s important to follow your heart and do what you believe is right.

Please have a look at the rest of my website for more information about me.

#AstroSevenSummits

Goal: To climb the Seven Summits of the world (the tallest mountain on each continent), all while performing scientific research, technology testing, educational projects, outreach activities, working with local communities in ethical ways, and making sure to leave the smallest impact possible on the environment.

Research:

Environmental and climate change related studies
- The research we’re planning on conducting will mostly be related to climate change and the human impact on the environment. We will be partnering with several different organizations and companies from around the world. Some will give us experiments to perform during the expeditions and others will give us technologies to test in the extreme environments of the Seven Summits. For instance, we'll be studying the direct effect of human pollution on these near-pristine places.
Astrobiology
- Additionally, we will assess the different extreme life forms that can survive at the high elevations of the Seven Summits. This will help us understand better what the limits of life are and whether similar extreme organisms could exist elsewhere in the universe.

Outreach:

We want to inform the public about the research that we will be conducting and engage young people in it too.
For example, we will be including scientific and technological student projects during our expeditions that will be designed by children as part of school activities and competitions.
We will also create a short documentary film from each expedition to share with the public around the worl