He graduated from the University of Lausanne
in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and the University of Geneva in
1975 with a Master of Science in astrophysics. He also qualified as a Swiss Air
Force pilot in 1966, as an airline pilot in 1974 (flying DC-9s for Swissair
from 1974 to 1976), and became a test pilot in 1988 at the Empire Test
Pilots School, Boscombe Down, UK.
Claude Nicollier was a member of
the first group of
ESA
astronauts selected in 1978. He joined Group 9 of
NASA astronauts in 1980 for Space Shuttle training at
the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, where he was stationed until
September 2005. His technical assignments in Houston included Space Shuttle
flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory,
development of Tethered Satellite System retrieval techniques, and Remote
Manipulator System and International Space Station robotics support. From 1996
to 1998, he was Head of the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch. From 2000 on, he
was a member of the Astronaut Office Extravehicular Activity Branch, while
maintaining a position as Lead
ESA
astronaut in Houston. During his assignment in Houston, he also maintained an
active duty status within the Swiss Air Force with a rank as Captain, flying
Hawker Hunter, Northrop F-5E Tiger and Pilatus PC-9 aircraft until the end of
2004. He has logged more than 6400 flight hours, 4000 of which are in jet
aircraft. He still flies Hawker Hunters, as civilian aircraft, during airshows.
Until his retirement from
ESA he
was assigned to the
EVA Branch in the
NASA Astronaut Office in Houston;
Claude Nicollier
retired from
ESA in 2007, and is currently professor at the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (Ecole Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne), where he teaches a course on Space Mission
Design and Operations, and provides assistance to students on space-related
projects. He is also involved in the Solar Impulse solar-powered aircraft as
Head of Flight Test and Head of the Safety Review Board. This project aims to
fly around the world in several steps on solar power only, with one pilot. The
design and construction of the final aircraft started in 2011.
He was
selected as an
ESA
candidate payload specialist for
Spacelab-1. In
1983 it was the intention and wish of West Germany and
ESA that
on the
Spacelab-D1 mission Claude Nicollier would fly as a mission
specialist together with (German) payload specialists
Furrer, and
Messerschmid and (Dutch)
ESA
payload specialist Wubbo
Ockels,
but after severe internal discussions
NASA refused this option; was already assigned for
STS-61K (
EOM-1/2), but this flight was cancelled after the
Challenger
disaster.
His hobbies include playing alphorn, snow skiing, mountain
climbing, flying, photography.