JAXA Astronaut Activity Report, July 2004

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This is JAXA's primary activity report on Japanese astronauts for July 2004.

Mission Specialist Astronaut Candidate Training

In July, Astronauts Furukawa, Hoshide, and Yamazaki continued Mission Specialist (MS) astronaut candidate training.

The three astronauts attended T-34C aircraft flight training in preparation for T-38 jet flight training scheduled to begin in August at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. The T-34 and T-38 flight training will help the astronauts increase their ability to multitask and improve crew cooperation that will be required in space flight. The training will be conducted under stressful aircraft flight conditions by having the trainees perform several tasks simultaneously, such as communicating with ground crew, checking instruments and maneuvering the aircraft. For T-38 and T-34C, refer to the June 2004 astronaut activity report.

T-34C aircraft Flight Training

At the NAS Pensacola (from left, astronauts Hoshide, Noguchi, MS candidate Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, astronauts Yamazaki, and Furukawa)

This training is intended for MS candidates who have no T-38 flight experience. The flight training, using a simulator and/or lecture on instrument flight, incorporates visual flight and instrument flight in order to teach basic operations such as takeoff, landing, ascending, descending and circling. Visual flight is literally flying the aircraft while looking out the window. Instrument flight is flying the aircraft used during poor visibility by relying only on flight instruments. This training is conducted with no visibility outside the aircraft.

On 27 Aug. during his own T-38 flight training, astronaut Noguchi visited the NAS Pensacola to encourage the three astronauts undergoing training.

Astronaut Mukai's Tenth Anniversary Commemorative Event
"Space Classroom and Lecture for Children"

Astronaut Mukai giving a lecture

On 24 and 25 July, astronaut Mukai visited Tatebayashi City in Gunma Prefecture, her home town, to participate in "Space Classroom for Kids" and to give a memorial lecture to commemorate her Shuttle flight on the STS-65 mission. At the "Space classroom for kids," attended by 1000 elementary and middle school participants, she talked about zero gravity, vacuum, and life in space in a cheerful and easy manner.

In her memorial lecture meeting held at the same site, Astronaut Mukai gave a lecture entitled "One More Step Towards A dream" to approximately 1200 participants, and she spoke about the current situation of space development and her own activities.

Space cucumber presented to astronaut Mukai

The Tatebayashi Branch of the Japan Space Youth Association presented Astronaut Mukai with a sixth generation cucumber grown from the seeds that she took into space on her second Shuttle flight in 1998. She tasted the cucumber together with others in attendance.

At the end of the lecture, middle school children of ten years ago who spoke on radio with astronaut Mukai in flight were invited to the stage and shared in the pleasure of their reunion.

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