The Genesis of our Name
Io, the innermost Galilean moon |
A
little known anniversary recently passed. January 7th, 2013 marked
the 403rd anniversary of Galileo's discovery of the first four moons of
Jupiter. One of the four, Io, is the namesake of our production company. This,
the fourth largest moon in our solar system, is not somewhere you would
consider for a vacation. It is one of the solar system's most geologically
animated objects with over 400 active volcanoes, and its atmosphere is mostly a
noxious stew of sulphur dioxide with a bracing average temperature of -261F.
Io employees (and production baby-Laura) pose for a X-mas Card |
So, it stands to reason that we didn't choose
Io for its welcoming environment. However, this distant moon was one of the
most exciting destinations for many of NASA/JPLs spacecraft missions: Voyager, Galileo,
Cassini-Huygens. Galileo even passed close enough to fly through a plume of one
of Io's erupting volcanoes. Io's exotic nature and the remarkable work of NASA
to reach its impossibly distant climes is a constant inspiration––a really
great story. And, great stories make for great films. Thus the allure.