JAXA Astronaut Activity Report

Kibo mission-specific training for ISS Expedition 18

Astronaut Wakata (left) during simulation training

Astronaut Wakata, who is assigned as a crew member for the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 18 mission, and his backup, astronaut Noguchi, participated in a training session at JAXA Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC). For astronaut Wakata, it was the last training session at TKSC before his flight to the ISS.

The main focus of the training was operations of Kibo during the 2J/A (STS-127) Mission, the third and final Kibo assembly flight. During his stay in Japan, astronaut Wakata attended a press conference with other 2J/A (STS-127) crew members who also participated in the training at TKSC.

2J/A Mission

	Preparations and training for the Expedition 18 Mission, which in my case will start in February 2009, are on track. This training session at TKSC was the last training in Japan before my flight to the ISS. During the training, we learned how to operate the science experiments on board Kibo. I also had an opportunity to participate in operations training with the STS-127 crew members and the JAXA Flight Control Team (JFCT) simulating the Kibo assembly operations.

ISS Expedition Operations Training in Russia

Astronaut Furukawa, who is assigned as a backup crew member for the Expedition 20 mission, continued to participate in the training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Russia on the ISS Russian modules and Soyuz TMA spacecraft, which started in August.

Through lectures and training using simulators, astronaut Furukawa obtained further knowledge about the Zvezda service module’s control system, and the Russian module’s network configuration and communication system. He also participated in training on the Soyuz TMA spacecraft’s attitude control system, and automated KURS rendezvous and docking system.

Astronaut Hoshide’s lectures in US

Astronaut Hoshide giving his lecture in a Japanese School

Astronaut Hoshide gave lectures at three Japanese schools in Maryland and Virginia and at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia.

The Japanese schools invited astronaut Hoshide to give a special lecture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the schools. He also visited Thomas Jefferson High School and gave his lecture. Thomas Jefferson High School has been actively promoting Science and Technology education, including development of a small satellite in collaboration with NASA.

During his lectures, astronaut Hoshide talked about the 1J (STS-124) mission with many interesting stories along with a video that explained the whole mission from launch to landing. Students asked him many questions about life in space, space food, what inspired him to be an astronaut, and other things.

1J Mission

Workshop on ISS expedition

During the workshop

A workshop on the ISS expedition was held on September 15 at Nagai Memorial Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo.

During this workshop, Professor Emeritus Makoto Asashima from The University of Tokyo, and astronauts Mukai and Wakata discussed various topics of the ISS expedition. Astronaut Mukai expressed expectations of science activities in Kibo modules and said “The long-waited Japanese laboratory, which Japan can utilize for Japanese projects, was finally installed on the ISS. We will actively promote the use of Kibo facilities. The environment on orbit enables the ultimate conditions for research in preventative medication.” The audience asked many questions about astronaut Wakata’s ISS expedition, which will be the first expedition with a Japanese astronaut member, including the impact of living on orbit on the human body and life in an enclosed environment, as well as biological experiments on orbit.

Technology verification of robotics operations with the Exposed Facility connected

Astronaut Yamazaki operating SSRMS simulator

Astronaut Yamazaki is focusing on her work at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). In parallel with her astronaut training program, astronaut Yamazaki works on the robotic operations in NASA’s Astronaut Office.

Astronaut Yamazaki participated in a technical review of the camera views of the television cameras on the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) used for installing Kibo's Exposed Facility (EF). While the EF is being installed on the Pressurized Module (PM) by SSRMS during the 2J/A (STS-127) Mission, robotic arm operators will have to manipulate the SSRMS watching the video images taken with the television cameras on the monitors of the robotics workstation in the Destiny laboratory.

During the technical review by NASA and JAXA teams, astronaut Yamazaki manipulated the hand controller of the SSRMS simulator to examine and select the essential camera angles for the robotics operations under a scenario of no support from Extravehicular Activity (EVA) crew members during the EF installation.

The result of the review will be added to the evaluation data for determining how far the EF can be moved towards the berthing mechanism (Exposed Facility Berthing Mechanism: EFBM) with only camera vision.

2J/A Mission