If you could have your time again, would you still want to be an astronaut? Most definitely. And would you fly to the Moon? Or even to Mars? I would love to fly to the Moon, for sure. It’s not even that far, just a few days; it’s almost a suburb of the Earth. Mars is a different proposition. If I were 30, I probably would go for it – in the knowledge that it would be very draining, both mentally and physically. Why? Mars is very far away. The Earth would just be a small blue dot surrounded by blackness. It would take up to 20 minutes for radio signals to reach it. It would be a very isolating experience for a person. That would be extremely challenging psychologically. What does that mean for the gradual colonisation of Mars? People who are born to explore could take on a journey like that with all the huge difficulties it entails. That’s why I see the exploration of Mars as feasible. But I don’t see millions of people moving there. You can find more pictures of Nicollier‘s space missions in our online version of this article at www.revue.link/nic https://asclepios.ch And what’s sleeping like? The space shuttle had sleeping bags, which you could attach to a wall or the ceiling. You can’t just float around while sleeping. Why not? You need a certain stability to sleep. Especially for the head. You attach your head to the pillow with a fabric band. It’s the same on Earth: if your head is sticking out over the end of the bed, you won’t sleep. While repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, you worked with a battery-powered screwdriver. Were you not at risk of suddenly turning yourself instead of the screw? Yes, that is a risk. That’s why you have to hold onto something with your other hand before using a screwdriver. If you are using both hands, you need to anchor yourself with your feet. As soon as you start expending energy in a state of weightlessness, there is an action and a reaction. You have to practise for that. How do you do that? You can’t simulate weightlessness. You have to differentiate. If you move around slowly in a water tank, the sensation is similar to weightlessness. So, that’s a good way to practise working with tools. But it only works for slow movements. You can also use your arms and feet to push off when underwater, and that doesn’t work when you’re weightless. prepare for it. This shows that she has done her homework. She says that being completely cut off for months is a big problem. You can’t just go home – not even if someone close to you falls ill or dies. “It’s harder to come back from Antarctica than from the International Space Station, even though it’s on the same planet,” she says, adding: “I could see myself doing it.” Astronauts Michael Foale (left) and Claude Nicollier replacing sensors on the Hubble Space Telescope (1999). Nicollier is securely attached to the space shuttle’s robotic arm. Photo: Keystone/NASA Swiss Review / December 2024 / No.6 21
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