Two weeks ago, filmmaker Sam Cossman, former astronaut Scott Parazynski, and their crew headed inside Nicaragua’s Masaya volcano to install ~80 wireless sensors. Working with General Electric, the group worked to connect the volcano to the internet. Masaya, an active volcano that boasts a lava lake, is a mere 12 miles away from Managua. By equipping the volcano with internet, the goal is to try to accurately predict when the volcano will erupt. So Cossman and Parazynski dressed up like human baked potatoes – that is, in aluminized suits capable of withstanding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit – and journeyed inside. At that time, the volcanauts – as they call themselves – shared a few images and videos. But they didn’t provide too many details.
Yesterday, however, they made another voyage into the volcano, and captured it all for Snapchat. In the featured Snap story, Cossman and co. gave little details along the way. Cossman spoke about Masaya being uncharted territory. Unlike the 3,000 people who have summited Mt. Everest or the 12 that have walked on the moon, the interior of Masaya previously had zero visitors. The project’s lead scientist, Hugo Nordell, explained that the location is known as the Mouth of Hell because conquistadores literally thought this site led to hell. So to protect themselves, they placed a cross at the entrance in 1529.
The rest of the video explains the purpose of the mission, while making some references to Tamagotchis and lava-ing Nicaragua. Surprisingly, there weren’t any “it’s lit” jokes, but it’s still a really insane video that gives previously unseen views of Masaya. Watch the video below: