iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 16h

3/ I was recently interviewed by Bárbara Pinho for an article about extremophiles (extreme lifeforms) for Chemistry World of the Royal Society of Chemistry 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 16h

2/ Unfortunately, many times science dictates what we have to put ourselves through to collect the right kinds of samples/perform an important kind of experiment, even in extreme colds 😅.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 16h

I don't think that there's a single expedition guide that has not thought that I'm crazy for using bare hands or hands in very thin gloves for my scientific research in polar places like Antarctica 😀. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

4/ Now, not that many years later, we have a simulated space station Cosmic Region and over 70 space companies in Slovakia 😊. PS: Happy World Space Week!

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

3/ That's in great part thanks to the efforts of a few colleagues and I who worked hard to convince the government and the people of Slovakia that it's valuable for our country to become part of the European Space Agency @esa.int .

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

2/ That time, the Slovak and Czech delegation at the IAC was very small (as you can see in the third picture). I'm so glad that ten years later, the Slovak delegation alone is as huge as you can see in the fourth picture 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I can't believe my first International Astronautical Congress (IAC) was 10 years ago! That's when I received the Emerging Space Leaders grant and presented several research papers at the world's biggest space conference for the first time 😊. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

2/ This NASA booth had a range of interesting information about their existing and upcoming missions. Here are just some of the materials that caught my eye 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

One of my favorite parts of this space conference is the exhibition hall. I meet friends, colleagues and even fans on every corner 😊, all while enjoying the many cool space stalls throughout. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

3/ (E5 - 37th IAA SYMPOSIUM ON SPACE AND SOCIETY, Session 6 - Simulating Space Habitation: Habitats, Design and Simulation Missions). Many thanks to the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic for supporting this trip and my presentations at the IAC 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

2/ If you're around, please let me know and I'll be happy to find time to meet with you. I'll also be presenting about my simulated space mission research underwater on Friday afternoon, so please stop by if you're interested

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I'm excited to be in Antalya, Turkey, this week for the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 😊. It has been great meeting up with people from the space community and I'm looking forward to catching up with many more people this week. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

6/ ➡️ If you are in a position to help, you can donate through the fundraiser here: chuffed.org/project/astr... Thank you very much! ❤️

chuffed.org

Astro Seven Summits

* Text in Slovak is below.. / Text v slovenskom jazyku je uvedený nižšie. *

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

5/Many thanks as well to everyone who donated anonymously & in person, and whom I've thanked in my previous posts 😊. No donation is too small. Every euro, dollar or other currency can make a difference 😊. I will be very appreciative of every single contribution ❤️ michaelamusilova.com/how-to-donate/

michaelamusilova.com

How to Donate | Michaela Musilova

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

4/ Marek Skrovina Janka Sevcikova Jamie Hill Gabriela Vnukova James Teng Joshua Jenkins Darren Gentle Peter Styk Laura Martonová Ryan Aw Kyle Arcurio Ivan Jelacic Radovan Jakuš Michal Packa

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

3/ Many thanks to the people listed here, in no particular order, for their recent donations: Maxi Musil Gabika Schierl Darina Obušeková Martina Dzureňova Eva and Pavol Boroš Laura Bettiol and Reinhard Tlustos Katka and Milan Hazlinger Josef "Pytlák" Říha Katarina Kurucova Zuzka Valette

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

2/ For my upcoming birthday (Oct 11th), I'm continuing to try to raise funds for my non-profits' work. All fundraised money will go towards my scientific, educational and outreach activities. If possible, I would be extremely grateful for any support l: michaelamusilova.com/how-to-donate/

michaelamusilova.com

How to Donate | Michaela Musilova

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

So many of you have very kindly supported my fundraising efforts recently - I'm incredibly touched and grateful 😊. Thank you very much to you all who have donated to support my research and educational work! ❤️ 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

4/ In moments of doubt, I lent into my strengths and reminded myself of my abilities to keep me going even in the most difficult moments. In the end, I enjoyed the whole experience so much that I hope to continue doing work as an aquanaut in the future 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

3/ My sense of adventure took over and I looked forward to every "spacewalk" - exploration underwater while scuba diving. Most importantly, I think my curiosity as a scientist was what kept pushing me forward, especially at times when I was going way past my comfort zone.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

2/ I anticipated all the possible problems that could arise throughout the year of preparation for this mission. However, those anxious feelings quickly changed to excitement once I dove underwater and started my life there for several days without returning to the surface.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I find it fascinating that sometimes a thing that challenges us can become something that we end up loving. In my case, I thought my underwater simulated space mission would be something that I would struggle with and 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

3/ I was pleased to see how much interest there was in these topics and I was very happy to answer seemingly endless questions from the students 😉.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

2/ A couple of weeks ago,I shared some insights with them about simulated space missions. I also talked about how I got into NASA & became the Commander of 40 simulated missions to the Moon & Mars. I hope I was able to motivate them to pursue their own dreams, no matter how challenging they may seem

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Congratulations to the students of the Montessori school in Modřany, Prague, for completing their first simulated mission to Mars today! 😊 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

3/ Nowadays, fortunately, most technologies are much smaller and lighter, which makes my work much easier 😊. Many thanks to Lenovo for your support of my research and educational projects! 😊

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

2/ Everything from airports to park benches are common places where I take out my tablet or laptop to catch up on my endless to do list 😅. It used to be much more challenging when I carried around a very heavy laptop and hard disks.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Working while travelling around the world can be very challenging. I always have to find time in between expeditions, presentations and other work commitments to respond to emails, fundraise and take care of other necessary matters. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Thank you very much for all the kind name day wishes and gifts! I greatly appreciate it 😊. . . . Ďakujem veľmi pekne za všetky milé priania a dary k mojím dnešným meninám! Veľmi si to cením 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I'm looking forward to presenting about my simulated space mission research at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) next week! If you will be around the IAC or Antalya during that time, please let me know and I'll be happy to meet up with you 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

3/ No donation is too small. Every euro, dollar or other currency can make a difference 😊. My other fundraising page is this one: michaelamusilova.com/how-to-donate/ Thank you very much for your help! ❤️

michaelamusilova.com

How to Donate | Michaela Musilova

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

2/ If you're interested, you can donate towards these calendars through my fundraising page. All money raised will go towards my research and educational activities all around the world, including my next Astro Seven Summits expedition in December this year. chuffed.org/project/astr...

chuffed.org

Astro Seven Summits

* Text in Slovak is below.. / Text v slovenskom jazyku je uvedený nižšie. *

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The 2027 calendars are here! 😊 I'm very excited to share these with you. They're calendars made from my pictures from Antarctica, Tibet, Alaska, South America and Iceland. One calendar has pictures with me and one is just of nature. You can see some examples of those pictures in this post. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

3/ If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating to my fundraising pages to support my scientific, educational and outreach activities 😊: michaelamusilova.com/how-to-donate/ Thank you very much! ❤️

michaelamusilova.com

How to Donate | Michaela Musilova

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

2/ I'm hoping to spare young people from having to make similar sacrifices like I did to pursue their dreams. My work has involved organizing student projects & competitions, as well as the creation of the 1st simulated space station in Slovakia, which I helped make possible in recent years.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I had to leave my home when I was a teenager to pursue a career in space sciences. Since then, I've helped create tens of opportunities around the world for young people to get involved in international space and scientific research. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I'm very grateful that there continues to be interest by the media in my research, especially in my recent simulated space mission underwater. I had a very nice interview during the morning news show Telerano, where I shared what living and working underwater for several days in a row was like. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

4/ Many thanks for the invitation RKC v Prievidzi and Matej Kakiš for the first and fourth picture shown here 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

3/ My 40 simulated space missions as a Commander have also been an important part of my career. Furthermore, I talked about my various struggles, how I overcame them and how it all ultimately brought me to where I am today 😊.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

2/ I shared my journey of how I managed to get from Slovakia to NASA by the time I was 21 years old and how I created my own path towards astrobiology when you couldn't get a degree in that field.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I had a great time presenting at the Hviezdna Prievidza event 😊. So many people showed up to my talk that not everyone could fit inside the lecture hall and they had to watch the talk from the outside 😅. 1/

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

3/ You also risk using up your air supply more quickly, since you may need to increase the air fan speed and cooling when you're doing so much work. All in all, geology spacewalks can be very interesting and cool, but they also often lead to you returning to the station like a sweaty mess 😅.

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Dr. Michaela Musilova @astro-michaela.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

2/ Not only is the hammering/sample collecting part exhausting, but the spacesuit restricts your breathing, which makes it easier to get out of breath. You also tend to heat up in the spacesuit after a workout like that, leading to the visor of your helmet fogging up.

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