JAXA Astronaut Activity Report

Astronaut Kimiya Yui's training at the JSC for a long-duration ISS mission

Astronaut Kimiya Yui, who was assigned as a crew member for the Expedition 44/45 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), underwent training for a long-duration mission at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).

The astronauts' primary duties on the ISS include conducting experiments and operating and maintaining systems. In April, Yui focused on training for system operations and maintenance.

To confirm the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) procedure that simulates maintenance operations for the exposed equipment installed on the exterior of the ISS, Yui dived into the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), a large pool containing a submerged full-scale ISS mockup. Yui also simulated EVA support using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS).

For the systems inside the station, he confirmed the maintenance of the Thermal Control System (TCS) that releases excessive heat generated from the hardware externally as well as the response to the TCS refrigerant leak.

In addition, he learned how to deploy the IMAX 3D camera, which would be used during the mission.

While continuing training for the ISS mission, he also engaged in flight training, flying T-38 jet trainers, as part of the space flight preparation.

Astronaut Takuya Onishi's training for the Soyuz spacecraft at the GCTC

Onishi simulating the Soyuz spacecraft manual operations (Credit: JAXA/GCTC)

In April, Astronaut Takuya Onishi, who was assigned as a crew member for the ISS Expedition 48/49 mission, underwent training for the Soyuz spacecraft's motion-control system at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC).

The motion-control system of the Soyuz spacecraft controls the spacecraft's attitude and direction while approaching and docking to the ISS, and deorbiting after undocking from the same. The system includes automated and manual control modes, but the automated control mode is normally used. If this fails for any reason, the crew maneuvers manually using the manual control mode.

Receiving lectures and repeatedly practicing using a simulator, Onishi finally took an exam to confirm he had acquired the required knowledge and techniques.