LYW Episode 21, Aug 22 2024: Dr. Alex Parker, Astraeus Ocean Systems

Dr. Alex Parker's Astraeus Ocean Systems

This week, Dan sits down with Dr. Alex Parker, NASA engineer-turned-ocean-innovator, to talk about his Astraeus Project. 

Dr. Parker is a scientist and engineer with over a decade of experience developing technologies for NASA and exploring worlds at the edge of the solar system. Since 2021 he has been adapting his expertise in space exploration technologies to the challenges of ocean exploration. In addition to Astraeus, he is currently a research scientist at the SETI Institute, a Salish Sea Fellow at Western Washington University’s Salish Sea Institute, and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences.

The project aims to tackle ocean research and data-collection using autonomous boats kit out with sensor suites and electronic packages to aid ongoing research missions at the press of a button.

Hear about this fascinating project, as we add another chapter to our "Blue Tech" series of interviews that detail the innovations and developments just around the corner in our maritime world.

A prototype vessel of the Astraeus Ocean Systems' project being tested in Lake Whatcom. Photo: Astraeus Ocean Systems

Dr. Alex Parker, Astraeus Ocean Systems