Skip to main content

EPFLx: EE585x Space Mission Design and Operations

Course Team

The Lecturer: Claude Nicollier

Claude Nicollier

Claude Nicollier, originally trained as an astrophysicist and a fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force, was selected as a member of the first group of ESA astronauts in 1978. He joined the 1980 class of NASA astronauts for Space Shuttle training at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, where he was stationed until September 2005. 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.

Claude retired from ESA in 2007, and is currently Honorary Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), where he teaches a course on Space Mission Design and Operations, and provides assistance to students on space-related projects. He was also involved in the Solar Impulse solar-powered aircraft project as Head of Flight Test and member of the Safety Review Board.

Spaceflight experience

Claude was a crewmember on four Space Shuttle flights: STS-46 in 1992 (Eureca deployment and first test of a Tethered Satellite System), STS-61 in 1993 (first servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope), STS-75 in 1996 (second flight of Tethered Satellite System, and microgravity investigations), and STS-103 in 1999 (third Hubble servicing mission ). He logged more than 1000 hours in space, including a spacewalk lasting more than eight hours to install new equipment on Hubble during STS-103.

Areas of Expertise:

Physics, Astrophysics, Space, Aviation

MOOC TEAM:

Gilles Feusier

Gilles

Gilles Feusier is head of Technology and Science at the Swiss Space Center. He previously worked in the Swiss space industry, as well as for the machine tool industry. He gained extensive experience in space mechanisms and robotics, bioreactors as well as in the management of space projects. He received his Master Degree in Physics in 1993 and his PhD in Solid-State Physics from EPFL in 1997. He is managing the course and supporting the whole team.

Thibault Kuntzer

Thibault

Thibault Kuntzer is a PhD student in cosmology at EPFL. He is interested in data analysis and preparation of the next large ESA mission: the Euclid Satellite, devoted to the study of cosmological parameters. He is also part of the engineering team for the ESA small class CHEOPS satellite that will characterize exoplanets. He obtained his Master in Physics and Minor in Space Technologies in 2013 from EPFL. He is one of the teaching assistant and prepared the exercises for the MOOC.

Camille Pirat

Camille

Camille Pirat is a PhD student at Swiss Space Center. He received his Master of Science in Physics from EPFL in 2013. He has subsequently been working at the Swiss Space Center as a System and Mission Engineer before starting his PhD in 2014 on Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking for CubeSats. He is one of the teaching assistant and prepared the exercises for the MOOC.

Maxime Auchlin

Maxime

Maxime Auchlin is a PhD candidate in MEMS reliability for space applications at EPFL, in joint operations with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM in Neuchâtel, Switzerland) and ESA’s ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands. He received his MSc in Materials Science and Engineering with Minor in Space technologies from EPFL in 2016. Prior to this, he spent 6 months at the University of Houston, Texas. He is one of the teaching assistant.

Volker Gass

Volker

Volker Gass is Director of the Swiss Space Center, EPFL since 2011 and Adjunct Professor at EPFL, School of Engineering. He previously worked at RUAG Space Switzerland. He received his master degree in microtechnology from EPFL in 1988 and his PhD from University of Neuchâtel in 1994. Through the Swiss Space Center, he promotes and develops space activities by involving Swiss education, science and industry.

EPFL MOOC Production:

A huge thank-you to the EPFL MOOC production team who supported us for the recordings and editing of videos, implementation of the edX platform and who gave us very good advice and especially to:

  • Gwénaël Bosquet, Video coordinator
  • Matthew Goodman, Video editor
  • Patrick Jermann, Executive director
  • Gilles Raimond, Media engineer
  • Eloge Seri, Interactive media designer
  • Christian Vonarburg, Course developer