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When Claude Nicollier became first Swiss in space

Claude Nicollier became the first Swiss to go into space on July 31, 1992.

He circled the earth 136 times between the end of July and August 8 on the space shuttle Atlantis.

On August 7, he received a congratulatory call from the then Swiss transport minister Adolf Ogi.

Ogi’s off the cuff remark ‘Freude Herrscht’ (happiness reigns) would become legendary in German-speaking Switzerland. 

Nicollier, remembering his first moments in space, told the newspaper, the Südostschweiz: “I had the feeling of being pulled against the ceiling. I kept banging my head against the control panels and fuses.”

In his role today as a teacher, Nicollier says he has a certain responsibility to pass on what he’s learned. “I’ve experienced the extraordinary.”

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