Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Over the past year, from Artemis II’s orbit of the moon to “Project Hail Mary,” our thoughts and eyes have once again been turned towards the skies with a sense of curiosity, adventure and awe. Though “Project Hail Mary” made us think about space and our climate, when you think about NASA, you may not think about the deep ocean, or medical research, or their role as a key player in the search to address climate change.
In this conversation, astronaut and aquanaut Nicole Stott, NASA exploration-analog expert Bill Todd, and space-policy leader Phil Larson explain why the ocean floor is one of the closest environments we have to living and working in space.
The panel explores NASA’s NEMO missions inside the Aquarius undersea habitat, where crews experience isolation, confinement, dangerous conditions, complex scientific work, and real consequences for mistakes. These missions help astronauts develop teamwork, decision-making, emergency-response skills, and the mental discipline required for missions aboard the International Space Station, the Moon, and eventually Mars.
The discussion also examines the wider value of exploration: medical research in microgravity, Earth-observation satellites, climate monitoring, ocean conservation, commercial spaceflight, space debris, lunar settlements, ocean worlds such as Europa and Titan, and humanity’s search for life beyond Earth.
Featured Speakers
Nicole Stott is a former NASA astronaut, spacewalker, aquanaut, engineer, and artist. She spent more than 100 days in space aboard the International Space Station and participated in NASA’s NEMO 9 undersea mission. She is also known for painting the first watercolor in space and for promoting the idea that Earth is an interconnected “ocean planet” traveling through space.
Bill Todd is a NASA exploration-analog specialist and former leader of NASA’s undersea research activities. He developed the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations program, known as NEMO, and has spent approximately 100 days living beneath the ocean. His work focuses on astronaut training, crew performance, mission safety, extreme environments, and future undersea habitats.
Phil Larson is a space-policy and strategy leader whose career has included work with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, SpaceX, the University of Colorado, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. His work examines space exploration, public-private partnerships, policy, innovation, planetary science, and the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
From the dangers of launching on millions of pounds of rocket fuel to the challenges of living in a nitrogen-saturated habitat beneath the sea, this conversation reveals what exploration demands—and why it still matters. Watch through the end for audience questions covering decompression, orbital debris, the Moon versus Mars, and the future of human exploration.
Subscribe for more conversations about NASA, astronaut training, ocean science, space technology, and the future of exploration.
Chapters
0:00 Why NASA Explores Underwater
3:10 Meet Nicole Stott, Bill Todd, and Phil Larson
7:25 Why Humanity Continues to Explore
13:40 Are We Alone in the Universe?
18:20 Earth Is an Ocean Planet
22:15 Inside NASA’s Aquarius Habitat
28:30 Why Underwater Missions Simulate Space
35:10 Living in Isolation Beneath the Ocean
42:00 Teamwork, Training, and Real Consequences
49:15 Colorado’s Astronaut Connections
53:30 Why Spaceflight Is Still Dangerous
1:01:20 Fear, Family, and High-Stakes Decisions
1:09:10 Lessons From Titan, Challenger, and Columbia
1:17:00 How Space Exploration Benefits Earth
1:25:25 NASA Satellites and Climate Research
1:34:10 Seeing Earth From Space
1:40:00 The Story and Meaning of Earthrise
1:47:30 NASA and Commercial Spaceflight
1:57:45 The Next Frontier Under the Sea
2:05:30 Europa, Titan, the Moon, and Mars
2:13:15 How Aquanauts Decompress
2:18:50 The Growing Problem of Space Debris
2:24:30 Moon Versus Mars
2:30:00 Final Audience Questions and Closing
#NASA #SpaceExploration #Astronaut #OceanExploration #Science
Over the past year, from Artemis II’s orbit of the moon to “Project Hail Mary,” our thoughts and eyes have once again been turned towards the skies with a sense of curiosity, adventure and awe. Though “Project Hail Mary” made us think about space and our climate, when you think about NASA, you may not think about the deep ocean, or medical research, or their role as a key player in the search to address climate change.
In this conversation, astronaut and aquanaut Nicole Stott, NASA exploration-analog expert Bill Todd, and space-policy leader Phil Larson explain why the ocean floor is one of the closest environments we have to living and working in space.
The panel explores NASA’s NEMO missions inside the Aquarius undersea habitat, where crews experience isolation, confinement, dangerous conditions, complex scientific work, and real consequences for mistakes. These missions help astronauts develop teamwork, decision-making, emergency-response skills, and the mental discipline required for missions aboard the International Space Station, the Moon, and eventually Mars.
The discussion also examines the wider value of exploration: medical research in microgravity, Earth-observation satellites, climate monitoring, ocean conservation, commercial spaceflight, space debris, lunar settlements, ocean worlds such as Europa and Titan, and humanity’s search for life beyond Earth.
Featured Speakers
Nicole Stott is a former NASA astronaut, spacewalker, aquanaut, engineer, and artist. She spent more than 100 days in space aboard the International Space Station and participated in NASA’s NEMO 9 undersea mission. She is also known for painting the first watercolor in space and for promoting the idea that Earth is an interconnected “ocean planet” traveling through space.
Bill Todd is a NASA exploration-analog specialist and former leader of NASA’s undersea research activities. He developed the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations program, known as NEMO, and has spent approximately 100 days living beneath the ocean. His work focuses on astronaut training, crew performance, mission safety, extreme environments, and future undersea habitats.
Phil Larson is a space-policy and strategy leader whose career has included work with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, SpaceX, the University of Colorado, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. His work examines space exploration, public-private partnerships, policy, innovation, planetary science, and the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
From the dangers of launching on millions of pounds of rocket fuel to the challenges of living in a nitrogen-saturated habitat beneath the sea, this conversation reveals what exploration demands—and why it still matters. Watch through the end for audience questions covering decompression, orbital debris, the Moon versus Mars, and the future of human exploration.
Subscribe for more conversations about NASA, astronaut training, ocean science, space technology, and the future of exploration.
Chapters
0:00 Why NASA Explores Underwater
3:10 Meet Nicole Stott, Bill Todd, and Phil Larson
7:25 Why Humanity Continues to Explore
13:40 Are We Alone in the Universe?
18:20 Earth Is an Ocean Planet
22:15 Inside NASA’s Aquarius Habitat
28:30 Why Underwater Missions Simulate Space
35:10 Living in Isolation Beneath the Ocean
42:00 Teamwork, Training, and Real Consequences
49:15 Colorado’s Astronaut Connections
53:30 Why Spaceflight Is Still Dangerous
1:01:20 Fear, Family, and High-Stakes Decisions
1:09:10 Lessons From Titan, Challenger, and Columbia
1:17:00 How Space Exploration Benefits Earth
1:25:25 NASA Satellites and Climate Research
1:34:10 Seeing Earth From Space
1:40:00 The Story and Meaning of Earthrise
1:47:30 NASA and Commercial Spaceflight
1:57:45 The Next Frontier Under the Sea
2:05:30 Europa, Titan, the Moon, and Mars
2:13:15 How Aquanauts Decompress
2:18:50 The Growing Problem of Space Debris
2:24:30 Moon Versus Mars
2:30:00 Final Audience Questions and Closing
#NASA #SpaceExploration #Astronaut #OceanExploration #Science
