EPFL - Space@yourService patch.
Feb. 15, 2020
Six apprentice astronauts undergo training at EPFL in Crans-Montana (VS) simulating the conditions of a space mission.
Aspiring astronauts train until Sunday in Crans-Montana (VS). The EPFL Space @ yourservice association has concocted training for them reproducing the conditions of a space mission, including night dives under the ice.
Coming from several countries, these six apprentice astronauts - three girls, three boys - took up residence on Thursday in the Haut-Plateau. The goal of the camp is to get into difficult situations that could happen in space.
"The goal is to get around the discomfort", explains Chloé Carrière, president of Space @ yourservice, interviewed by Keystone-ATS. "In particular, we are working on group cohesion, as if we no longer have contact with the Earth," she notes.
The main activity of the camp nevertheless remains diving under the ice of Lake Moubra, under the guidance of Frenchman Alban Michon, a polar explorer. “The most difficult thing is not the cold but the management of stress. You cannot go out anywhere and you must not be claustrophobic, ”says Christian Cardinaux, one of the participants.
Selected by Claude Nicollier
About fifteen people participate in this training camp, including the six astronauts called "analogues" and two reservists. Aged 20 to 31, they come from Switzerland, France, Great Britain and Chile. They were selected from around 200 candidates from around the world, thanks in particular to the assistance of Claude Nicollier.
Mission Asclepios logo
Coming from EPFL students, the Space @ yourservice association wishes to popularize space sciences (astronomy, astrophysics, space engineering) with the general public and students. Among her activities, she launched the Asclepios project, which includes the Crans-Montana training camp.
Related links:
Space@yourservice: https://www.epfl.ch/campus/associations/list/spaceat/fr/spaceyourservice-2/
Asclepios: http://asclepios.ch/
Images, Text, Credits: ATS/EPFL/Space@yourService/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Greetings, Orbiter.ch
