JAXA Astronaut Activity Report

Astronaut candidates start JAXA's Basic Training

Opening ceremony

An opening ceremony was held at Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) prior to initiating JAXA's Basic Training program for astronaut candidates, Mr. Kimiya Yui and Mr. Takuya Onishi.

This year, the two candidates will receive basic training at JAXA until July. From August, they will participate in NASA's Astronaut Candidate Training program to gain the necessary knowledge for astronauts and the basics of systems and components of the International Space Station (ISS). They will be certified as astronauts upon completion of the training program, based on training performances.

They participated in JAXA's new employee orientation program during the first half of this April along with other new JAXA employees. During the second half, they attended lectures on the basics of space and the ISS, language lessons, and physical training at TKSC.

	"I am grateful to all who have provided us with this great environment for training. I find a lot of differences between an astronaut's job and my previous occupation, and it sometimes confuses me. However, I truly enjoy the training since it has been an area of great interest to me. I am determined to do my best while having a sense of gratitude for all who have supported my training".

	"The long-awaited basic training has finally begun. The program began with basic lectures, such as the history of space exploration and the ISS, along with language lessons and physical training. With the amount of curriculum we have, time goes really fast. Preparations and reviews of the lectures are indispensable since most things are completely new to me. I am spending very busy days; however, I really enjoy the training because I constantly discover and learn new things. From time to time, we will have chances to report to you on our basic training sessions. I hope that our reports make you feel as if you too are also participating in the astronaut training courses with us".

ISS Expedition Operations Training in Russia

Astronaut Noguchi receiving training on operating Soyuz spacecraft's hatch （©S.P.Korolev RSC Energia）

Backup crew members for the Expedition 22 Mission, including Astronaut Furukawa, during training using the Soyuz TMA simulator

Astronaut Noguchi, who is assigned as an Expedition 22/23 crew member, and Astronaut Furukawa, his backup, participated in training sessions on the ISS Russian modules and the Soyuz TMA spacecraft at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) and RSC Energia in Russia.

Astronaut Noguchi received training to simulate maneuvering the Soyuz TMA spacecraft under increased gravity during reentry using the centrifuge accelerator. He also participated in training sessions on manipulating the periscope that is used for monitoring outside the spacecraft, and on the Soyuz TMA spacecraft's emergency escape system, attitude control system and thermal control system. In addition, he participated in a training session on the manual rendezvous/docking maneuver and learned how to open and close the hatch.

Meanwhile, astronaut Furukawa participated in training sessions using the Soyuz TMA simulator, such as an emergency procedure drill in the case of sudden air decompression or fire in the Russian section of the ISS, manual rendezvous and docking training, and reentry operation training using the centrifuge accelerator.

Training for H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) and the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo)

Astronaut Noguchi listening to professor Kamisaka

Astronaut Noguchi practicing the extraction of plant samples

Astronaut Noguchi, assigned as a member of the ISS Expedition 22/23 crew, participated in training sessions on the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) and the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC).

Through the training sessions, he learned the operations to install the HTV's Exposed Pallet (EP) to Kibo's Exposed Facility (EF) using Kibo's Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS). Moreover, he learned how to install/remove exposed payloads using JEMRMS, and how to manipulate the Small Fine Arm (SFA) that will be attached to the Main Arm (MA) of the JEMRMS for operations, while learning Kibo's onboard systems.

In addition, Astronaut Noguchi received a lecture by Professor Seiichiro Kamisaka of Toyama University, the Principal Investigator (PI) of "Life Cycle of Higher Plants under Microgravity Conditions (Space Seed)," a life science experiment that will be operated onboard Kibo during Astronaut Noguchi's stay aboard the ISS on the Expedition 22/23 Mission. Astronaut Noguchi learned the outline of the experiment and had a hands-on opportunity to operate the Plant Experiment Sample Chamber in the Plant Experiment Unit (PEU), where seeds are planted to grow plants, and to harvest and treat grown plant samples using the actual experiment tools.

Training for STS-131 mission

STS-131 crewmembers reviewing the shuttle’s onboard equipment inside the Space Shuttle Mockup

Astronaut Yamazaki is participating in training sessions for the STS-131 mission at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).

The seven STS-131 crew members learned the basics of the shuttle’s voice communication system inside the Space Shuttle Mockup (a full-scale model). They acquired knowledge on the voice communication system upon docking to the ISS and reentry by examining actual headsets, cables, and equipment panels.

Serving as the ISS CAPCOM

Astronaut Hoshide as a CAPCOM at MCC

Astronaut Hoshide has served as a CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) at the Mission Control Center-Houston (MCC-H) while Astronaut Wakata has been on orbit. Astronaut Hoshide will serve again as a CAPCOM during the STS-127 (2J/A) mission.

2J/A mission