Claude Nicollier remains loyal to space even at 80
Published: Thursday, Aug 22nd 2024, 09:40
Updated At: Monday, Sep 2nd 2024, 05:50
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The first Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier turns 80 today. However, he is not yet ready to retire, he said in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Instead, he is trying to pass on his passion for space to younger generations. "The experiences I had as an astronaut were incredibly profound. When you have experienced something so extraordinary, you can't keep it to yourself," said Nicollier.
Nicollier still teaches a number of courses at the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Lausanne and Zurich. He is also in contact with the new astronauts of the European Space Agency (ESA). These include Marco Sieber, who will follow in Nicollier's footsteps in the next few years and become the second Swiss to fly into space.
Clear images in your head
Nicollier looks back wistfully on his time in space. He would fly again in a heartbeat if he had the chance. But not as a space tourist. "I like doing things that are meaningful, not just for fun. I want to make a difference." He has done this with his space flights. "By exploring space, we are expanding humanity's knowledge."
Nicollier spent a total of around 1000 hours in space on various missions. "I still have very clear images of it in my head," said the astronaut. "You can look at photos or videos of it, but it's not the same as experiencing it for yourself."
Nicollier has particularly fond memories of his encounter with the Hubble Space Telescope. "When I touched the telescope with my hand for the first time, it was a very special feeling." In order to repair the telescope, he was the first European astronaut to undertake an extra-vehicular activity - with success: at the end of the mission, the telescope was working again. It still provides important data for science today.
"You can see the scars"
Seeing the Earth from space had a profound impact on him and changed his view of the world. "From space, you can see how fragile the Earth is. You can see the scars that humans are leaving on the planet. Forest fires and deforestation in particular are very clearly visible from space," said Nicollier.
"I had a deep feeling at this sight that we have to protect this very special planet because we know that this is the only place where we can live in our solar system at the moment." It is possible that humans could live on Mars or other planets for a certain period of time in the future. However, he does not believe that there will one day be large colonies outside the Earth, at least not in the next few decades.
He is "moderately optimistic" about the future of the planet. "At least we now have the awareness that something needs to be done. That didn't exist 50 years ago."
"I would have loved to fly to the moon"
Since Nicollier's mission in space, space missions have become significantly longer. "My missions were always short. Usually ten to twelve days. And they were filled with hard work." On the International Space Station (ISS), where missions usually last six months, things are different. "I would have liked to stay in space longer. Not only to enjoy the view, but also to experience what it's like to live in this environment for a longer period of time." His successor will have this opportunity.
He would also have liked to have had another experience that astronauts will soon have again: "I would have liked to have flown to the moon. But there was no moon mission when I was an active astronaut."
Unattainable dream
For a long time, Nicollier's dream of becoming an astronaut seemed unrealistic. "At the time, space travel was divided between the Soviets and the Americans," he explained. Instead, he studied astronomy and physics, trained as a military and civilian pilot and finally took up a position at the ESA Research and Technology Center in the Netherlands.
When the opportunity to become an astronaut first opened up for Swiss people there, he seized the chance and applied to train as an ESA astronaut. He became a member of the first training group and went to the USA in 1980 for further training as a space shuttle mission specialist.
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