An
astrobiologist,
analog
astronaut,
author
and
speaker,
Dr.
Michaela
Musilova
shares
her
experience
as
a
woman
at
the
forefront
of
space
exploration
and
from
her
quest
for
scientific
and
personal
excellence
When
we
talk
about
space
adventures,
our
minds
are
likely
to
wander
to
famed
astronauts.
However,
we
often
forget
that
there
is
a
lot
more
to
space
exploration
than
“just”
space
shuttles
and
the
crews
of
people
clad
in
special
space
suits
and
bouncing
around
in
zero
gravity.
Indeed,
space
research
and
exploration
are
increasingly
vital
for
life
on
Earth.
Naturally,
then,
they
rely
on
some
of
the
world’s
brightest
minds
in
various
fields
whose
research
not
only
pushes
the
frontiers
of
our
knowledge,
but
ultimately
helps
us
overcome
some
of
the
most
acute
challenges
here
on
our
planet
and
brings
tremendous
and
practical
benefits
to
humanity.
Their
ranks
include
Dr.
Michaela
Musilova,
an
astrobiologist
who
studies
the
limits
of
life
on
Earth
and,
perhaps
even
more
importantly,
searches
for
life
in
outer
space.
Today
is
International
Women’s
Day
and
March
is
Women’s
History
Month,
an
international
annual
celebration
of
women,
pioneers
and
trailblazers,
and
we
reached
out
to
Dr.
Musilova,
to
talk
not
just
about
women
making
history,
but
also
use
it
as
an
opportunity
to
look
ahead
and
see
what
we
can
accomplish
with
the
help
and
brilliance
of
(women)
scientists.
Dr.Michaela
Musilova
has
been
conducting
space-related
research
at
institutions
around
the
world,
including:
CalTech,
University
College
London,
University
of
Bristol,
Chiba
University
and
others.
Additionally,
she
has
been
working
with
NASA,
ESA
and
international
observatories,
such
as
the
University
of
London
and
Canada-France-Hawaii
telescopes.
Michaela
was
the
Director
of
HI-SEAS
and
Commander
of
over
30
simulated
missions
to
the
Moon
and
Mars,
in
collaboration
with
NASA,
ESA
and
many
international
organizations.
She
is
currently
a
visiting
Professor
at
the
Slovak
University
of
Technology,
Global
Faculty
at
the
International
Space
University
and
Head
of
Research
of
the
space
technology
company
NEEDRONIX.
She
was
also
voted
one
of
the
ESET
Heroes
of
Progress
in
2022.
Can
you
briefly
describe
your
life
story
and
what
you
do?
I
am
an
astrobiologist
–
that
means
I
search
for
extraterrestrial
life,
but
I
also
try
to
understand
the
limits
and
origins
of
life
on
Earth.
I’m
also
a
so-called
analog
astronaut
and
have
been
the
commander
of
over
30
simulated
space
missions.
On
top
of
that,
I
love
to
teach,
write,
perform
outreach
and
educational
projects,
and
I’m
currently
leading
my
own
Astro
Seven
Summits
project.
The
goal
of
the
project
is
for
my
team
and
I
to
do
research,
educational
and
outreach
activities
while
climbing
up
the
tallest
mountain
on
each
continent.
In
a
nutshell,
I
studied
through
numerous
scholarships
at
various
universities
around
the
world,
including
Caltech
(USA),
Chiba
University
(Japan)
and
UCL
(UK).
I
first
worked
at
NASA
when
I
was
21
years
old
and
I
have
collaborated
with
NASA
on
multiple
projects
since
then.
My
research
has
led
me
on
expeditions
in
different
extreme
environments
around
the
world,
such
as
Arctic
regions,
deserts,
tall
mountains
and
volcanoes.
I
have
worked
on
a
number
of
space-related
projects
with
space
organizations
and
institutions
worldwide,
including
the
European
Space
Agency
(ESA)
and
the
Canada-France-Hawaii
telescope.
Since
I’m
from
Slovakia,
it
was
important
for
me
to
come
back
to
Slovakia
and
help
move
the
space
sector
forward
there
as
well.
I
spent
a
couple
of
years
in
Slovakia
as
the
Chair
of
the
Slovak
Organization
for
Space
Activities,
which
is
when
we
launched
the
first
Slovak
satellite
skCUBE,
started
a
space
engineering
degree
program
at
the
University
FEI
STU
in
Bratislava
(where
I’m
a
visiting
professor)
and
we
helped
make
progress
towards
Slovakia
becoming
an
Associate
Member
of
the
European
Space
Agency.
Now,
I’m
focusing
mainly
on
the
activities
I
mentioned
above,
after
retiring
from
being
the
Director
of
the
HI-SEAS
space
research
station
in
Hawaii,
where
I
ran
over
30
simulated
space
missions
to
the
Moon
and
Mars.
If
you
would
like
to
know
more,
I
recently
co-wrote
a
book
about
my
life
caled Žena
z Marsu
(A
Woman
from
Mars).
What
made
you
want
to
become
an
astrobiologist?
And
what
steps
did
you
have
to
take
to
get
to
where
you
are
now?
When
I
was
eight
years
old,
I
first
became
passionate
about
space
and
I
started
wondering
whether
there
could
be
aliens
out
there.
That
quickly
developed
into
a
hobby,
through
which
I
combined
my
different
passions:
space,
writing,
drawing
and
fashion
design.
I
would
write
novels
about
aliens,
draw
them
and
design
clothes
for
them,
and
then
I
shared
my
stories
with
my
classmates
in
elementary
school.
I
was
later
able
to
meet
the
first
(and
so
far
only)
Slovak
astronaut,
Ivan
Bella.
He
made
me
realize
how
cool
an
astronaut’s
job
was
and
how
it
would
be
perfect
for
me
–
I
could
search
for
aliens
while
going
on
missions
in
space!
However,
by
the
time
I
was
15
years
old,
I
realized
that
it’s
almost
impossible
for
me,
a
Slovak
girl,
to
become
an
astronaut.
At
the
moment,
Slovakians
can
only
become
astronauts
if
our
country
will
contribute
significant
amounts
of
money
to
ESA,
and
that’s
only
valid
since
the
end
of
2022.
Before
then,
there
was
no
possibility
at
all
for
Slovakians
to
become
ESA
astronauts
(and
our
chances
still
remain
very
slim).
I
hesitated
whether
to
embark
on
this
nearly
impossible
journey,
but
I
decided
to
give
it
a
try
anyway.
I
started
saving
money
through
numerous
part-time
jobs
during
high
school
and
university.
I
also
studied
very
hard
to
get
the
best
possible
grades
and
thus
more
scholarships
to
fully
self-fund
all
of
my
studies.
Even
charities
helped
me
out
and
since
then,
I’ve
been
helping
charities
in
any
way
that
I
can.
It
wasn’t
an
easy
journey,
as
I
was
homeless
and
exposed
to
all
sort
of
difficult
situations
at
times
(discrimination,
harassment,
people
in
high
up
positions
trying
to
blackmail
me,
etc.).
Nevertheless,
I
kept
trying
my
best
and
every
success
motivated
me
to
keep
going
after
my
dreams.
What
is
the
most
exciting
aspect
of
your
job?
And
what,
on
the
other
hand,
could
you
live
without?
The
most
exciting
part
of
my
job
is
to
be
able
to
go
on
expeditions
to
different
extreme
and
remote
environments
around
the
world,
as
well
as
to
simulated
other
planets
during
my
analog
lunar
and
martian
missions.
I
really
love
that
about
my
research
projects
and
I
joke
that
in
a
way
it’s
an
awesome
“office
with
a
view”
😉.
I
love
doing
outreach
and
I
think
it’s
a
very
important
part
of
my
work.
I
believe
scientists
should
try
interacting
with
the
public
more
if
possible,
and
help
others
understand
what
the
significance
of
their
research
is.
However,
I
wish
there
was
a
way
to
perform
outreach
and
educational
activities
without
social
media.
Nowadays,
social
media
platforms
dictate
what
to
post,
how
to
post
it
and
when
to
post
it,
on
top
of
other
things.
The
algorithms
tend
to
favor
certain
types
of
posts
and
influencers,
so
organizations
that
just
want
to
share,
for
example,
educational
content
tend
to
get
marginalized,
especially
if
they
can’t
afford
to
pay
for
marketing
assistance.
What
is
your
biggest
passion
outside
of
work
and
what
keeps
you
motivated
on
your
journey?
My
biggest
non-work
related
passion
is
dancing.
I’ve
been
dancing
since
I
was
three
and
I
greatly
enjoy
it.
It’s
something
that
brings
me
a
lot
of
joy
and
it’s
great
exercise
too.
I
have
tried
a
variety
of
dance
styles:
hip
hop,
ballet,
lyrical,
flamenco,
breakdancing,
acrobatic
dancing,
belly
dancing,
ballroom
dancing
and
many
others.
I
currently
dance
West
Coast
Swing
with
my
partner,
and
I
hope
to
get
back
into
lyrical
and
street
dancing
in
the
near
future.
Did
you
have
a role
model
growing
up?
And
do
you
think
young
people
are
being
encouraged
and
motivated
to
go
into
sciences
enough
nowadays?
No,
I
didn’t
have
a
role
model
growing
up.
I
admired
astronauts
for
instance,
but
rarely
could
I
relate
to
them
because
of
my
background
and
circumstances.
Instead,
I
drew
inspiration
from
people
that
I
knew
or
met,
whose
stories
motivated
me
to
aim
high
and
pursue
my
dreams.
Those
people
included
social
activists,
teachers,
people
who
persevered
despite
adversity
and
my
parents.
I
think
scientists
and
the
sciences
are
hopefully
becoming
more
approachable
these
days
because
of
various
outreach
activities.
In
the
past,
scientific
subjects
used
to
be
presented
as
something
masculine
that
only
certain
types
of
people
were
thought
to
be
interested
in.
Women
and
people
of
different
minorities
were
often
subconsciously
and
sometime
consciously
dissuaded
from
going
into
STEM
subjects.
The
more
women
and
minorities
are
able
to
access
education
in
sciences,
and
then
share
their
stories,
the
more
women
and
minorities
will
be
inspired
to
pursue
these
types
of
careers.
Also,
showing
the
fun
and
creative
side
of
STEM
subjects
through
outreach
and
educational
activities
can
help
young
people
be
more
motivated
to
pursue
these
areas.
There
is
still
a
lot
of
progress
to
be
made,
but
at
least
things
are
a
bit
better
than
they
used
to
be
when
I
started
my
career
15
years
ago.
Michaela
Musilova
on
a
boat
travelling
to
a
glacier
in
Svalbard
(Credit:
Libor
Lenza)
How
does
it
feel
being
that
role
model
for
young
girls
from
Slovakia
and
elsewhere
thinking
of
pursuing
sciences?
If
you
could
give
them
one
piece
of
advice
what
would
it
be?
I
am
very
honored
that
some
people
consider
me
a
role
model
and
I
don’t
take
that
lightly.
It
is
a
big
responsibility
and
I
want
to
do
it
justice.
That
means
I
share
both
the
good
and
the
bad
sides
of
my
personal
story,
so
that
people
can
understand
the
hardships
and
downsides
of
pursuing
a
career
like
mine.
I
also
try
to
share
information
that
can
be
useful
to
others.
In
terms
of
advice,
if
I
can
just
share
one
thing,
then
I’d
say:
stick
to
your
intuition
and
gut
feeling.
If
they’re
telling
you
something
is
wrong,
listen
to
them
and
vice
versa.
My
intuition
has
never
let
me
down
and
it
has
saved
my
life
a
few
times,
literally.
That
means
that
if
you
feel
strongly
about
pursuing
a
certain
passion
or
if
you
have
a
bad
feeling
about
a
certain
job
offer
or
person,
listen
to
that
“voice”
in
your
head.
It
can
be
a
life-saver
or
it
can
simply
help
you
pursue
something
that
will
bring
you
happiness
in
life.
What
are
the
next
steps
in
your
career?
Currently,
my
main
focus
is
on
my
Astro
Seven
Summits
project.
My
team
and
I
have
climbed
Kilimanjaro
last
year
and
we’re
now
getting
ready
to
climb
the
next
mountain,
Aconcagua.
The
first
expedition
went
very
well
and
we’re
looking
forward
to
the
next
one,
with
educational
and
outreach
activities
that
we’ll
be
conducting.
At
the
moment,
we’re
looking
for
sponsors
and
partners
of
the
project.
If
all
goes
well,
then
we’ll
be
climbing
Mount
Everest
in
2025
and
I
may
become
the
first
Slovak
woman
to
summit
Everest,
as
well
as
the
first
Slovak
woman
to
complete
the
Seven
Summits.
I’m
also
continuing
with
space-related
research,
teaching
and
presenting
worldwide,
as
well
as
writing
more
short
stories
and
novels.
I
haven’t
given
up
on
my
dream
to
do
research
in
space
and
I
hope
that
my
Astro
Seven
Summits
project
will
actually
help
me
with
my
astronaut
prospects.
Nevertheless,
if
it
doesn’t
work
out
in
the
end
and
I’m
not
able
to
become
an
astronaut,
I
hope
that
my
work
will
at
least
help
others
achieve
this
goal.
If
you
could
tell
women
and
girls
one
thing,
this
International
Women´s
day,
what
would
it
be?
Keep
pursuing
your
passions
and
stand
up
for
what
you
believe
in.
It’s
not
always
easy
or
possible
to
do
that
of
course,
and
sometimes
it
takes
time
and
the
right
circumstances.
I
just
believe
that
it’s
important
not
to
forget
about
your
own
dreams
and
things
that
make
you
happy,
despite
obstacles
in
the
way.
There
are
still
many
issues
with
gender
inequality
in
the
world,
for
example
with
unfair
pay
gaps,
discrimination
and
sexual
harassment.
Unfortunately,
those
things
won’t
change
for
the
better
unless
people
of
all
genders
work
together
to
stop
these
injustices
from
happening
and
set
fair
standards
in
both
professional
and
private
aspects
of
their
lives.
I
remain
hopeful
that
things
will
continue
to
change
for
the
better,
so
I’m
trying
my
best
to
do
my
part
and
I
hope
others
will
join
me
😊.
Thank
you
for
your
time.
Happy
Women’s
History
Month!
About Author
