The Asclepios project is the first edition worldwide of an analogue space mission entirely made by students, for students.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Several aspiring astronauts have been taking late-night dives under the ice as part of a training camp to reproduce the conditions of a space mission.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jdp
The six students – three men and three women – from several different countries set up their tents in Crans-Montana in south-western Switzerland on Thursday for a training camp set to last through the weekend. The camp, part of the Space@yourserviceExternal link association at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), aims to test how people manage in the most difficult conditions found in space.
“The goal is to get familiar with discomfort,” explains Chloé Carrière, president of Space@yourservice. “We work on cohesion in the group, as if we no longer have contact with Earth”, she told news agency Keystone-ATS in an interview.
External Content
Second day: diving under the ice by night ! Seems like another planet ❄️👨🏻🚀
Its flagship activity is diving under the ice of Lake Moubra under the guidance of French polar explorer Alban Michon. “The most difficult is not the cold but stress management. You can’t get out just anywhere and you must not get claustrophobic”, explains Christian Cardinaux, one of the participants.
Some 15 people are taking part in the experiment including the six “analogue” astronauts and two reservists ranging in age from 20 to 31 and hail from Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, and Chile. They were selected from among 200 candidates from all over the world thanks to Claude Nicollier, Switzerland’s first astronaut.
The association Space@yourservice, founded by EPFL, aims to popularize the space sciences among the public and students. The training camp is part of the Asclepios projectExternal link of the Space@yourservice association, which is the first edition worldwide of an analogue space mission entirely made by students, for students.
The students were selected from 200 candidates from all over the world to take part in the simulated expeditions.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Wealth is not all: how gentrification in Zurich has led to housing shortage
Swisscom receives greenlight for acquisition of Vodafone Italia
This content was published on
The takeover of Vodafone Italia by Swisscom is nearing completion. All relevant authorities have now approved the €8 billion (CHF7.45 billion) deal.
Novo Nordisk stock market plunge drags down Swiss device maker Ypsomed
This content was published on
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, faced setbacks on Friday that weighed on the share price of Swiss injection device manufacturer Ypsomed.
Swiss press react to EU deal with mix of euphoria and scepticism
This content was published on
Swiss media reaction to the agreement between Switzerland and the EU varies widely. Some are celebrating, while others worry about what is to come.
Swiss Solidarity donations to tackle child abuse top CHF4 million
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has raised over CHF4 million ($4.3 million) to tackle child abuse.
EU Commission president says Swiss-EU deal is ‘historic’ agreement
This content was published on
At a joint media conference with Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a "day of joy".
Switzerland and EU reach deal on future bilateral relations
This content was published on
Switzerland and the European Union have announced a political agreement to update their trading relationship after almost a decade of difficult talks.
Second edition of moon habitat project planned for Mount Pilatus
This content was published on
This summer 15 teams of students will test their own designs to help humans live on the moon in the second edition of the Igluna project.
This content was published on
Cleaning up space is the mission of a new Swiss start-up, ClearSpace, which will capitalise on technology developed by engineers at the EPFL.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.