Kilimanjaro: A Successful Expedition for All Involved
Dr. Michaela Musilova and her team successfully completed their first Astro Seven Summits expedition in September 2022. It was focused on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the tallest mountain in Africa, which is 5,895 m (19,431 ft) high. Dr. Musilova had been dreaming about climbing the mountain since she was a little girl - ever since her father climbed it in 1995. When she created the Astro Seven Summits project in 2021, she was greatly inspired by this childhood dream, which she combined with her love for nature, astrobiology and her efforts to decrease the negative impact of human activities on the planet. The Astro Seven Summits team reached Kilimanjaro’s summit successfully on Sep 5th, 2022.
During the expedition, the team worked with Tanzanian guides, porters and camp team members to support local communities and to minimize the impact of their expedition on nature. They also collaborated with numerous partners all around the world, which included multiple universities, research institutes and companies. Dr. Musilova’s research focused on studying life that can survive in extreme environments (extremophiles), the effects of climate change on Kilimanjaro and the surrounding ecosystems, and on the human pollution in Kilimanjaro National Park. The team also tested technologies and equipment in the extreme conditions of Kilimanjaro for companies such as Zoleo, Larq and Point 6. Moreover, Dr. Musilova left feedback to the authorities in Kilimanjaro National Park to potentially improve their policies focused on protecting the environment.
In terms of their educational and outreach activities, Dr. Musilova and her team worked with educational organizations like STEM Punks to create hands-on experiences for young people worldwide. These included using sensors and apps to measure the humidity and light pollution in Kilimanjaro’s ecosystems in a way that young people could measure them as well in their home environments, and then compare the data. The team also recorded hours of educational footage for social media and for their documentary Hakuna Matata Kilimanjaro.
Hakuna Matata Kilimajaro with English subtitles
Hakuna Matata Kilimajaro with Slovak subtitles
Overall, the Kilimanjaro expedition resulted in Dr. Musilova doing tens of outreach talks and educational events on four continents. Furthermore, Dr. Musilova’s social media posts related to the Astro Seven Summits’s first expedition reached over 300,000 people worldwide in the project’s first year. These activities also led to new educational programs being created at several schools globally.
