Quotes by Claude Nicollier

About Claude Nicollier:

Claude Nicollier is the first astronaut from Switzerland, and has flown on four Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight (STS-46) was in 1992, and his final spaceflight (STS-103) was in 1999. He took part in two servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope (called STS-61 and STS-103). During his final spaceflight he participated in a spacewalk, becoming the first European Space Agency astronaut to do so during a Space Shuttle mission (previous ESA astronauts conducted spacewalks aboard Mir, see List of spacewalks and moonwalks 1965–1999). In 2000 he was assigned to the Astronaut Office Extravehicular Activity Branch, while maintaining a position as Lead ESA Astronaut in Houston. Nicollier retired from ESA in April 2007.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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 My dad is a civil engineer in Switzerland; he's 90 years old now, so he's no longer active as a civil engineer, but still a very active person.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

The future infrared space telescope will cover that area in a much more efficient manner.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

My name was on the list very early after these announcements were made through the newspapers in Europe.

Claude Nicollier

Then, much later, my next dream was to become an astronaut, and I was fortunate to realize that dream, also.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

As far as the radio waves part of the spectrum, we can do these adequately from the ground because the atmosphere is basically transparent to our radio waves.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

We have the Fine Guidance Sensors, one of which we will exchange out of three. Another one we changed on the last servicing mission, and on the fourth servicing mission in 2003 or 2004, the third one will be exchanged.

Claude Nicollier

You can see these boxes which are covered with metal foils for thermal reasons, and they are also, most of the time, thermally controlled inside to keep reasonable temperature inside each of these containers.

Claude Nicollier

We developed already, before the first servicing mission, this has been further developed on the second servicing mission and we refined it this time, all the terminology.

Claude Nicollier

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.

Claude Nicollier

It is going to be an experiment of how it works, and I see I have all reasons to believe that it will work fine. But it's a short time. And we also have pushed the envelope here a little beyond what has been done in the past.

Claude Nicollier

Author Bio

  • NameClaude Nicollier
  • DescriptionSwiss astronaut
  • BornSeptember 2, 1944
  • CountrySwitzerland
  • ProfessionAstronaut; Aviator