logo design by Chanud Sithipreedanant
This Asclepios III-crew is composed of the ten analog astronauts. The crew will perform an analogue space mission in all its components: training and thorough preparation; maintain and perform repairs of their base if needed; conduct scientific experiments and communicate with the ground team of the MCC as would a regular astronaut crew. The astronauts have been drafted from students all around the globe whose level of study ranges from bachelor to PhD.
Rebecca Blum
- 20
- US-American
- current BsC in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Brown University
- camping
- guitar
- softball
- writing (creative writing, poetry)
“I’ve always been drawn to this quote by Einstein: “Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why…however, there is one thing we do know that man is here for the sake of other men.” Humans are the universe becoming aware of itself, and we may not have a purpose besides being here for each other and learning more about the universe. This human experience is also innate to analog space missions. Analog missions push the boundaries of not just scientific research, but also human interactions–living and working in extreme conditions for prolonged periods of time is a necessary but rewarding aspect of human spaceflight. Analog missions set the stage for how we research and cope with these challenges, relying upon large systems of support from many people, all to push the boundaries of exploration and understanding of our home.”
Professional:
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with Brown EMS (2021-present)
- Undergraduate researcher at the Providence VA Medical Center investigating the role of extracellular vesicles in the progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (2021-present)
- Advanced PoSSUM Space Academy (2019) and Operational Space Medicine training (2022) with Project PoSSUM
Volunteer:
- Undergraduate researcher at NASA AMES investigating novel ways to produce biologics for space missions (2021-present)
- Guest speaker at astronomy clubs in Michigan (2016-present)
Baptiste Rubino-Moyner
- 24
- French
- Advanced Master SpacE Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS) – Politecnico di Torino/ ISAE Supaero / University of Leicester
- ESA Academy – Concurrent Engineering summer school
- Deep Learning Specialization – Andrew Ng
- IPSA – Aerospace Engineering Diploma
- Space Geek
- Drone Racing
- Sport
“Is space hard? Of course, it is. This is why alone you will never cross the Karman line. Working with people coming from all over the world is the most rewarding experience you can ever have. You will learn from different cultures, see things from another point of view and it will raise you to space and beyond.”
Professional:
- System Engineer – Mars transfer Vehicle – SEEDS
- Internship – Deep Learning R&D – Thales Alenia Space
- Internship – Machine Learning applied to plasma fusion – Max Planck Institut
- Internship – Electric plasma Propulsion for Cubsat (Helicon Thruster) – CNRS
- Internship – Electric plasma Propulsion for Cubsat (Hall Effect Thruster) – CNRS
- President – University Cubesat Association – IPSA ONE
Awards:
- Country Winner (France) and World honorable mention- NASA Space Challenge 2020
- Silver medal – iGem Challenge 2020
- European Innovation Winner – Coups de Boost Capgemini 2019
- Eiffel Prize Winner 2019
Awards:
- Design of an in-space transportation vehicle for a Human Exploration mission on Mars
- Feasibility study of a robotic space mission for searching trace of life on Europa
- Preliminary design of SAMPEI Subsurface Access and Mobility Probe for Europa Investigation
Samuel Darmon
- 23
- Swiss
- Ongoing: Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at EPFL
- Sailing
- Flying
- Climbing
- any outdoor activity
“In the 21st century, I think the heroes will be the people who will improve the quality of life, fight poverty and introduce more sustainability.”
– Bertrand Piccard
“Uncertainty is where things happen. It is where the opportunities – for success, for happiness, for really living – are waiting.”
– Oliver Burkeman
Professional:
- Swiss Air Force Sgt in charge of helicopter operations
- Flight Ops Support Internship at SWISS International Airlines
- Part-time Certification Engineer at Dufour Aerospace
Volunteer:
- Systems Integration at SP80, aiming to beat world sailing speed record
- Active Firefighter with SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) certification
Palak Patel
- 25
- US-American
- Ongoing: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Major: Materials and Manufacturing,
- Minor: Space Systems Engineering. Research
- M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- B.Tech., Mechanical Engineering, Pandit Deendayal Energy University
- Space exploration
- Woodworking and machining
- Sports (Football, Basketball, Volleyball, and Javelin throw)
- Reading (Fiction and Space sci-fi)
- Art (Drawing and Painting)
- Outdoor activities (Kayaking and Hiking)
“Curiosity is the essence of our existence.” – Gene Cernan.
“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.” – Stephen Hawking.
“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” – Carl Sagan
Professional:
- Graduate and Doctoral Research in the nanoengineered aerospace composite structures lab in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Winning team in the 2022 Caltech Space Challenge, designing a sample return mission to Titan
- Mechanical hardware team and pilot of the MIT team participating in the NASA 2021 RASC-AL Special Edition: Moon to Mars Ice & Prospecting Challenge, winning first place, most water collected, and best technical poster
- Team member on the MIT-NASA Langley Research Center Composite Boom Lunar Tower Collaboration
- Team member on the MIT team participating in the NASA 2023 BIG Idea Challenge Lunar Forge: Producing Metal Products on the Moon
- Engineer working on establishing a satellite waveguide fabrication shop at Siddhi Engineers with the Indian Space Research Organisation
- Internship on the fabrication of satellite waveguides at the Indian Space Research Organisation
- Undergraduate research on electron beam manufacturing for space applications at Pandit Deendayal Energy University
Volunteer:
- Mentor, trainer, and supervisor at Makerworkshop, a student-run machine shop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Environment, Health, and Safety representative for the nanoengineered aerospace composite structures lab in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Executive team member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association of Women
Marion Dugué
- 22
- French
- joint-MSc Applied Geophysics, TU Delft (NL), ETH Zurich (CH), RWTH Aachen (DE)
- joint-BSc in mathematics and physics, University of Warwick (UK)
- endurance running
- mountaineering
- speleology
“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You – You alone will have stars as no one else has them.”
– The little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Professional:
- Project coordinator of CHILL-ICE II analog mission in an Icelandic lavatube
- involvement in standard making at National (UK) and European level for AI safety
- research fellowship with Stanford Existential Risk Initiative
- SGAC active member in the Space Exploration Project Group
Luke Cullen
- 26
- British
- Ongoing: PhD in Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Risks, University of Cambridge
- MSci & BSc in Geophysical Sciences, University of Leeds & Victoria University of Wellington
- Surfing
- Rugby
- Climate change policymaking
- What? Going on the most exciting adventure in history.
- When? In the next few decades.
- Where? MARS. And beyond…
- Who? The best of humankind to represent all humankind.
- Why? Technological innovations to improve lives, exploration to inspire minds, scientific discoveries to pave the way to the future.
- How? Diligent work by all those like us who have the privilege to do so.
Professional:
- NASA researcher for Machine Learning in Physics, US
- Data Scientist for Satellite corporation, UK
- Exploration geophysicist, Australia
- Software developer, UK
- Underground miner, Australia
Volunteer:
- Football coach and referee
- Climate ambassador at academic conferences and COP26
- Committee member for Cambridge University AI and Triathlon societies
Max von Horstig
- 28
- German
- Ongoing PhD student in battery process engineering
- Suistainable Energy Engineering with focus on electro-chemical energy engineering
- Material science with focus on composite materials and photonics
- Sports (running, sailing, bouldering and anything else)
- Science (chemistry, earth’s climate, space exploration and in general)
- Music (guitar, singing)
“During the Age of Discovery, sailors battled the fatal effects of scurvy, which took the crew and made seafaring one of the most dangerous endeavors of its time. During the Age of Antarctic Exploration, the cold and violent snow storms were the greatest dangers. While nutrition and temperature regulation away from civilization can be brought well under control today, even in the current age of explorers, the age of manned spaceflight, maintaining the health of astronauts is threatened by systematic dangers that must be explored and resolved. Analogue space missions, like Asclepios, can contribute to this complex task on the path making human civilization multi planetary.”
Professional:
- Research Associate and PhD candidate for battery process engineering
- Reserve Officer of the German Navy
Volunteer:
- Regular crew member on the traditional sailing ship, Brig Roald Amundsen
- Former outdoor instructor (Outward Bound Sabah)
- Former board member of the university group of the German Association of the Gas and Water Industry
- Former board member of the Rotaract Club Lippe-Hellweg
Rocio Valera-Falla
- 22
- Spanish
- Integrated Master student in Aerospace Engineering at University of Nottingham
- Space exploration
- outdoor activities (rock climbing, scuba diving, ski)
- dancing
“I’ve always dreamed of exploring space and for the past years, I’ve been fascinated by analog missions and their research. Becoming an analog astronaut seemed the perfect place to make the first step into this dream of space exploration and a fantastic opportunity to expand my expertise as an aerospace engineer. I believe it is also a great place to contribute in making the space sector diverse and inclusive. Space really is for everybody, that’s our new common frontier. As NASA astronaut Nicole Stott once said:
“We must be like crew members (of a space mission) and not just passengers on Earth”
Professional:
VITA team Onboard Software Engineer taking part in ESA’s Orbit your Thesis! Programme (2022/2023)
Satellite Spectrum Coordination and Interference analyst intern at Mansat
Volunteer:
University of Nottingham CubeSat Team member (AstroJam and VITA projects)
Volunteer teaching assistant for youth and elderly people
Núria Marília Gonçalves Mendes Moreira
- 22
- Portuguese
- 5th year Medical Student at ICBAS – University of Porto
- Sports
- Travelling
- Space Exploration
- Piano
“Somehow I relate to Walt Disney’s quote regarding human curiosity and I also think of it regarding space exploration as well:
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Professional:
- ESA Academy’s Online Human Space Physiology Training Course
- European Astro Pi Challenge: Mission Space Lab Winner
- Internship Programme at CERN for particle physics. ESO Astronomy Camp student and AstroCamp monitor
- Nutrition and Sports Officer for Asclepios II
- Capcom in the mission control center of Asclepios II
Volunteer:
- Medical volunteer at hospital
- Volunteer in social action for children and refugees to play handball and do sports
- Currently working as Vice president of CEMCA
Pietro Innocenzi
- 24
- Italian
- PhD in High Speed Aerodynamics at Imperial College London
- MSc in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London
- BSc in Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Milano
- Basketball
- Outdoor sports (hiking, climbing, skiing)
- Cooking
“I remember being instantly attracted to the idea of an analog space mission. It represents the chance to test both mind and body like never before, receive invaluable training from a former astronaut and an explorer, get to know people that share same passions and desires, and – perhaps most importantly – push a little further our understanding of both practical and psychological issues that can occur during space missions.”
Professional:
- Aerodynamics Engineer at Karman Space Programme
Volunteer:
- Teaching and Research Assistant at Imperial College London