Inside the Asclepios Project with Matthew Acevski, Ambre Bexter, & Joseph Hong

What does it actually take to simulate life on the Moon… inside a Swiss mountain?

In this month’s Inside the Habitat, we go deep into the Asclepios Project, a student-led analog mission program designed to prepare the next generation of astronauts, engineers, and scientists for the realities of space exploration.

Founded at EPFL, Asclepios brings together students from around the world to design, train for, and execute fully immersive lunar simulations in underground environments like the Sasso San Gottardo fortress in the Swiss Alps. These missions aren’t just about roleplay; they’re about real science, real pressure, and real collaboration under extreme conditions.

Joe is joined by Matthew Acevski, Ambre Bexter, and Joseph Hong, who share what it’s like to go from applicant to astronaut, how mission control operates behind the scenes, and what happens when you spend two weeks cut off from sunlight, normal routines, and, occasionally, basic privacy.

From survival training and psychological stress to cutting-edge experiments in robotics, life support, and human behavior, this episode offers a rare look at how we’re preparing for the future of living beyond Earth.

And if you’re inspired by what Asclepios is building, you can support their upcoming mission, Asclepios VI, and help bring the next generation of lunar explorers to life.

Asclepios VI GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-support-our-student-space-mission

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A huge thank you as well to Matthew, Ambre, and Joseph for joining me today and sharing their work on the Asclepius mission. And of course, thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.