Received a degree in physics and mathematics
from the University of Groningen in 1973. Completed a
Ph.D. thesis on the basis of experimental work at the
Nuclear Physics Accelerator Institute (K.V.I.) in Groningen in 1978.
From
1973 to 1978, Wubbo Ockels performed experimental investigations at the Nuclear
Physics Accelerator Institute in Groningen. His work concerned the gamma-ray
decay of nuclear systems directly after formation and the development of a
data-handling system involving design of electronics and programming of
real-time software. He also contributed to the design and construction of
position-sensitive charged particle detectors. While at the K.V.I. Institute,
Ockels supervised the practical work of first-year physics students at the
University of Groningen.
In 1978, he was selected by the European Space
Agency, as one of three European payload specialists (science astronauts) to
train for the Spacelab missions, together with Ulf
Merbold and Claude
Nicollier. In May 1980, Wubbo
Ockels began the basic astronaut training for mission specialist at
NASAs Johnson Space Center, Houston, United
States. He successfully completed the training in August 1981 and joined the
Spacelab 1 crew for training as a back-up payload specialist for the first
mission of
ESA's Spacelab. During the mission (November 28,
December 08, 1983) he served as ground-communicator and
liaison-scientist for the crew on board
STS-9/Spacelab
1.
From 1986, Wubbo Ockels was stationed at
ESA's
research and technology centre,
ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where he
supported human spaceflight activities. He later became Head of
ESA's
Education and Outreach Office in Noordwijk. During this time he also held a
part-time professorship in Aerospace at the Delft University of Technology.
From September 2003, in close coordination with
ESA, he
became full-time professor of Aerospace for Sustainable Engineering and
Technology at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, dealing with
the exploitation of alternative sources of energy. Through the professorship
Wubbo Ockels is involved in innovative projects such as the Laddermill and the
Nuna solar powered car, twice leading a team of students to victory in the
bi-annual World Solar Challenge in Australia in 2001 and 2003.
He
successfully completed
MSP
training as a member of
NASA astronaut class IX, 1981 Wubbo Ockels was
alternate
PSP
STS-9, 1983 and
nominated by
ESA as the second candidate
PSP for
IML-1, 1985; stationed at
ESA's
research and technology centre,
ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where he
supported human spaceflights activities, 1986. He was member of the prime crew
for the
Spacelab
D-2 mission, but the new safety rules after the
Challenger
accident (a maximum of seven crewmembers) prevented him from flying, In
1988 he was nominated by the Investigator Working Group for
IML-2 as a
PSP and
unanimously supported by the
ESA
member states in a letter to
NASA for a second (European)
PSP on that
mission, 1992. Wubbo Ockels was one of six
ESA
candidates for the EuroMir flights, but was rejected because of a minor medical
problem, 1993. He recovered of a severe heart attack, 2005.