A Volcano with rich history

From Askja to the Moon

During the 1960s, NASA trained its Apollo astronauts at Askja.

The area was used to train the astronauts in geology for their missions to the moon. We provide footage from the training as well as from the return trips of the Apollo astronauts to the area in recent years.

The Lost Scientists

In 1907, the German scientists Walter von Knebel and Max Rudloff visited Askja to study the caldera. While exploring Öskjuvatn in a small boat, they disappeared without a trace. Von Knebel’s fiancée Ina von Grumbkow led an expedition to search for them, but no indication of what happened to them was ever found.

Previous Eruptions

The most recent eruption at the Askja volcao happened in 1961, while the nearby Holuhraun lavafield was created by a fissure eruption in 2014 & 2015.