This is NASDA's March 2002 primary activity report for ISS astronauts Furukawa,
Hoshide, and Sumino.
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"Kibo" the Japanese Experiment Module Advanced
Training opened to Press |
The Kibo advanced training Phase I that has been conducted at Tsukuba Space
Center since December 2001 was completed with the final (sixth) session
for NASDA astronaut Takao Doi and NASA astronaut Timothy Creamer. On March
4, the first day of their session, training sessions were opened to the
press. When the day's training was finished, astronauts Furukawa, Hoshide,
and Sumino joined the press conference to answer questions. They had finished
their training earlier.
More information is here.
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| Astronaut Furukawa,
Hoshide, and Sumino at the press conference. |
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NASDA's Kibo Safety Review Panel |
The Kibo safety review panel was held at Tsukuba Space
Center. This review panel is called Phase III and ensures that problem
resolving procedures for various problems have been evaluated by inspections
and tests.
In March, the safety review panel for the Pressurized Module and Experiment
Logistics Module-Pressurized Section was conducted. The safety review
panel will be continued.
The three astronauts participated in this safety review panel together
with Kibo development engineers, and safety and quality assurance engineers
to offer comments from the view points of astronauts who will use Kibo
in the future.
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Kibo Total System Test |
All of Kibo's components were gathered in Tsukuba Space Center. The Pressurized
Module, the final component, was transferred in September 2001. These components
were connected to each other, and a total system test has been conducted
since last October to evaluate their various interfaces.
The three astronauts, representing astronauts who will use Kibo in the future,
participated in this total system test together with engineers who developed
Kibo.
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Kibo Post Qualification Test Review No. 1 |
The Kibo Post Qualification Test Review No. 1 (JEM PQR #1) was held at the
Tsukuba Space Center. PQR is a review conducted to confirm that a manufactured
flight model that has passed the qualification test possesses the required
quality as a flight model.
Astronaut Hoshide, an astronaut who will use Kibo in the future, participated
in the review together with engineers who developed Kibo, and expressed
his opinions.
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Cosmic College |
"A cosmic college fundamental course" was opened
for three days. This course is for children who hope to work in the space
field and seeks to teach them what space is, what kind of a body the Earth
is, what the astronauts experience in space, and so on. The activity was
conducted using the newest facilities related to space development and
under the direction of excellent instructors. Its opening ceremony connected
Tsukuba, Sapporo, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Tanegashima island by satellite
communication lines.
Astronauts Furukawa and Sumino attended the ceremony and answered questions
from children in these locations.
Astronauts Furukawa and Sumino showed the Weightless Environmental Test
Building and the Astronaut Training Facility for children who attended
the course.
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The two astronauts were asked many questions during the opening
ceremony.
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Astronaut Furukawa explaining the Weightless Environmental
Test Building.
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Astronaut Sumino explaining the Astronaut Training
Facility.
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The Japanese ISS astronauts' April activity report will be issued
in June.
Last Updated: May 10, 2002
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