Space Science Launch

Aiglon’s new initiative in Space Science education was launched on 10th September 2008 when Swiss astronaut Professor Claude Nicollier officially inaugurated the School’s Kalouti Observatory. It was a privilege to welcome such a distinguished guest from the world of space exploration to open the recently installed facility, set up thanks to a generous donation by Aiglon parent, Mr. Hani Kalouti. The 3-metre dome is now home to a fine 27cm Schmitt-Cassegrain telescope. A solar panel provides electricity to the dome to power lap-tops for use in astrophotography and a wi-fi link to the School’s ICT network.

After cutting the ribbon, Professor Nicollier spent time talking to some of our Astronomy students, and related some his own experiences of discovering the universe at the telescope. In the evening he went on to give a memorable talk to the whole school about his experiences of living and working in space, and about the Hubble Space Telescope. Two of Professor Nicollier’s flights into space were ground-breaking servicing missions to Hubble. We were privileged to learn from him a little of the history and work of this fabulous instrument, which has greatly increased our knowledge of the cosmos, and given us some of the most stunning images ever taken of our universe.

One of the first European astronauts to be selected in 1978, accomplished pilot and astrophysicist Claude Nicollier flew four Space Shuttle missions between 1992 and 1999, and logged more than 1,000 hours in space, including one space walk of over 8 hours. He also occupied key roles at the Astronaut Office in Houston before retiring from ESA in 2007. He is on the staff of the Space Center at the EPFL (Federal Institute of Technology) in Lausanne, where he has been a professor since 1994.

Find out more about Claude Nicollier, the Hubble Space Telescope and Hubble Heritage at:               

www.esa.gov
www.nasa.gov
www.hubblesite.org
www.stsci.edu

Professor Nicollier speaks with the GCSE Astronomy class in the dome

 Image two; L to R: Omar Kalouti, representing his father, sponsor Hani Kalouti; Claude Nicollier, ESA astronaut; Christopher Starr, Head of Space Science; Bruce Boulden, Head of Science, and Dr. Richard Harwood, Deputy Principal (Administration), key contributors to the development of the observatory project.