Claude Nicollier
Claude Nicollier
Claude Nicollieris the first astronaut from Switzerland, and has flown on four Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflightwas in 1992, and his final spaceflightwas in 1999. He took part in two servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope. During his final spaceflight he participated in a spacewalk, becoming the first European Space Agency astronaut to do so during a Space Shuttle mission. In 2000 he was assigned to the Astronaut Office Extravehicular Activity Branch, while maintaining a position as Lead...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAstronaut
Date of Birth2 September 1944
CityVevey, Switzerland
CountryUnited States of America
On one hand, to be able to go from one direction in the sky to study such an object to another direction to study another object, and on the other hand to be able to maintain accurately the position in space.
In a way, what we do is not totally different from some of the tasks that will be performed for the assembly of the International Space Station.
I feel very privileged to be part of this mission, and when my nomination was announced, I was really very, very happy to be selected for this mission.
I think a benefit is that we try to put it up in a short time. From the decision to do this mission until we fly, it's six months and one week or so, so it's a very short time.
I didn't think that, as a Swiss, it was possible to do that, although I was really dreaming to do that. It was an impossible dream.
The objects that are of moderate energy, like our sun or most of the stars that we see in the night sky with the naked eye, are objects in which relatively moderate energy processes are taking place.
My name was on the list very early after these announcements were made through the newspapers in Europe.
Hubble is very close to my heart, and going back to Hubble, because I was there once already in 1993, is really a great privilege for me.
The future infrared space telescope will cover that area in a much more efficient manner.
Then, much later, my next dream was to become an astronaut, and I was fortunate to realize that dream, also.
I would say the most help I got was from my dad. My dad is a civil engineer in Switzerland; he's 90 years old now, so he's no longer active as a civil engineer, but still a very active person.
In general, the objects in the universe that are very high-energy objects, or the processes that are high-energy processes, will radiate more in the short wavelength range towards the gamma rays or the x-rays.
My first dream as a child was to become a pilot. My second dream was to become an astronomer, and I pursued in parallel efforts and studies in these two areas.
The Next Generation Space Telescope, which will be located much further away from the Earth than the Hubble Space Telescope presently is, will also explore the infrared part of the spectrum.