[ISS / Japanese Experiment Module (KIBO)] JAXA Astronaut Activity Report, June 2015

Astronaut Kimiya Yui continues training for his upcoming 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 this long-duration mission at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in the U.S. and at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Russia.

At the JSC, mission-specific operations and the grappling of an unmanned resupply vehicle using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) were reviewed, and the usage of cameras on the ISS were confirmed.

Yui obtained pre-flight data for medical research themes including JAXA’s Synergy (Experiment title: The elucidation of the re-adaptation on the attitude control).

Yui and his crewmates training in the Soyuz simulator (Photo courtesy of Kimiya Yui on Twitter)

During the training, Yui had an opportunity to visit with the on-duty CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) in the Mission Control Center (MCC) and increased his understanding of how the CAPCOM communicates with the onboard astronauts.

In late June, Yui traveled to Russia and conducted flight simulations aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Yui practiced docking with the ISS using manual operations, and alongside Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos and Kjell Lindgren of NASA, reviewed the procedures from launch to docking.

Follow Astronaut Kimiya Yui on Twitter: @Astro_Kimiya

Astronaut Takuya Onishi continues training for the ISS long-duration stay

Astronaut Takuya Onishi, assigned as a crew member for the Expedition 48/49 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), underwent training for a long-duration mission at the NASA Johnson Space Center in the U.S. and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) of the European Space Agency (ESA) in Cologne, Germany.

At the JSC, training was given on overall ISS operations.

Dressed in the EMU, Onishi checking the operability of switches (Photo courtesy of Takuya Onishi)

During the training for Extravehicular Activity (EVA), Onishi simulated operations to remove and replace exposed equipment installed on the exterior of the ISS in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), which is a large pool containing a submerged full-scale ISS mockup.

Onishi also learned how to conduct periodic maintenance and fit-checking on an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), as well as Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) operations. Alongside his crewmates Anatoly Ivanishin and Kathleen Rubins, Onishi also underwent training in preparation for emergencies that might occur on the ISS.

Fire was simulated this time. In the ISS mockup, they cooperatively dealt with the situation as prescribed by the Operation Data File (ODF). The trio also simulated a case where one of the crewmates had suffered cardiac arrest, and how to give artificial respiration and cardiac massage, as well as how to operate the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) were confirmed. To experience onboard daily operations, they underwent tasks according to a predetermined schedule.

Onishi also took an exam on in-orbit maintenance operations for the U.S. segment of the ISS, and became qualified as an Operator for the U.S. segment upon being recognized as possessing the necessary maintenance techniques, knowledge, and skills to properly address cases of failure in cooperation with the ground team.

For medical data, Onishi obtained the pre-flight data for JAXA’s Synergy experiment.

Onishi after the training for Columbus (Photo courtesy of Takuya Onishi)

At the EAC visited from June 8-12, Onishi was trained on the systems and experimental devices in the Columbus laboratory module. Onishi learned the overall systems in Columbus and was certified as an Operator. Training for the experimental devices included the Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System (MARES), which is a device used to study how the muscles of astronauts deteriorate over time in microgravity.

Astronaut Norishige Kanai attends pre-training for the upcoming NEEMO20

Astronaut Norishige Kanai attended pre-training at the NASA JSC in preparation for the 20th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO20).

Alongside other participants, Kanai attended a lecture giving an overview of the 20th NEEMO training and a seabed laboratory (called Aquarius) where the participants would stay during the training. They also learned how to use various tools during Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

NEEMO aims to further improve the behavioral abilities of participants when working as a team, such as teamwork, leadership, self-management, and cross-cultural understanding in an isolated environment, and prepare for an ISS long-duration stay.

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa conducts flight piloting training

From June 1-12, at Oita Airport, Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa conducted flight training aboard the Hawker Beechcraft Type G58 (Baron), a twin-engine plane owned by Honda Airways.

The flight is conducted by maneuvering the plane while communicating with the ground and making judgments to maintain and improve multi-tasking ability—one of the qualifications required for astronauts.

Before the flight, Furukawa used a flight simulator to familiarize himself with flying and was lectured on various disciplines necessary for flight. During the flight training, Furukawa piloted the aircraft by only using information shown on the instrumentation to determine the aircraft’s attitude, altitude, position, and course, performed an aborted landing (go-around), and operated the aircraft in response to irregular conditions.

Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide appears at the preview of the renewed “Space Dome”

Hoshide making a speech (Credit: JAXA)

Prior to the opening of the renewed “Space Dome,” the exhibition pavilion at the Tsukuba Space Center on June 22, a preview event was held on June 22, with Tsukuba city officials and the representatives of cooperative institutions being invited.

The renewed Space Dome features a mockup of the Japanese Experiment Module (“Kibo”) that was replaced by a new one exhibited at Space Expo 2014 (in Makuhari). Its appearance and interior now look the real Kibo. At the preview, Hoshide introduced the mockup’s must-see points to the participants.