Extreme Exploration - Anneka Rice, Mike Massimino, Britney Schmidt and Jess Phoenix

What It Covers

The Infinite Monkey Cage explores extreme exploration frontiers with astronaut Mike Massimino, volcanologist Jess Phoenix, astrobiologist Britney Schmidt, and adventurer Anneka Rice, discussing space missions, volcanic mapping, Antarctic research, and future planetary exploration challenges.

Key Questions Answered

• •Spacewalk Planning: NASA spacewalks are choreographed to the second through underwater training simulations, virtual reality, and pool practice, with teams constantly seeking ways to save even one minute of spacewalk time while preparing contingency plans for unexpected equipment failures or environmental changes.
• •Volcanic Hazard Mapping: Active volcano mapping relies on boots-on-ground GPS waypoint collection every three seconds during lava flow changes to create hazard maps that identify threatened structures within hours. Tilt meters measure ground inflation/deflation at millimeter scale to detect magma chamber pressurization indicating eruption risk.
• •Antarctic Ice Research: Scientists use ice-penetrating radar to x-ray glaciers and underwater vehicles to study the bottom side of Antarctica's ice shelves. Researchers have accumulated over two years of continuous field time on ice to understand ocean-ice interactions critical for predicting climate change and preparing for Europa exploration.
• •Europa Mission Timeline: Europa Clipper launches October 10 to map Jupiter's moon at resolutions better than 300 meters per pixel for the first time. The long-term goal requires developing autonomous spacecraft capable of melting through 30 kilometers of ice to reach the subsurface ocean and search for life.