This is JAXA’s Japanese astronaut activity report for November, 2015.
Astronaut Takuya Onishi continues training for his ISS long-duration stay
Astronaut Takuya Onishi and his fellow members receive final examination for the 45S flight (Credit: JAXA/NASA)
Astronaut Takuya Onishi, assigned as an ISS Expedition 48/49 crew member, participated in the final examination session as a backup crew member for the 45S flight, which was held at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC).
After completing various exams, the final examination was held for two days on the Soyuz TMA spacecraft and in the Russian segment of the ISS.
Attired in the Sokol spacesuits, Onishi and his crewmates boarded the Soyuz simulator and went through the same operational procedure for the actual operations as divided into three stages: from preparing to launch to initiating rendezvous with the ISS, rendezvous and docking to the ISS, and undocking from the ISS to landing on Earth.
Onishi and crewmate Kathleen Rubins in the Russian module mockup (Photo courtesy of Takuya Onishi)
For the exam in the Russian segment, the crew went through daily operations conducted in the Russian segment of the ISS, starting with the daily planning conference with ground control in the morning, followed by the preparation of meals, recording of video messages, checking of air composition, maintaining the toilet system, transferring cargo, and reviewing the emergency response equipment.
During the operations, they wore oxygen masks in response to a simulated fire, identified and extinguished the fire, and then restored the modules. The occurrence of such emergencies is not known to the examinees beforehand.
During the post-exam debriefing, the crew was informed that they had passed the exams with excellent results.
Astronauts Koichi Wakata and Akihiko Hoshide participate in the KOUNOTORI’s technical interchange meeting
Wakata at the meeting (Credit: JAXA)
From November 9-12, a debriefing session for the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI5 (HTV5) mission and coordination for the planned HTV6 mission were held.
In addition to the JAXA Flight Control Team (FCT) of KOUNOTORI, the NASA ISS flight controllers and Astronauts Koichi Wakata and Akihiko Hoshide participated in the meeting. Wakata participated by representing the NASA astronaut corps as he served as lead Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM: ground communicator with the ISS) during the HTV5 mission, while Hoshide participated as a JAXA astronaut in conducting the Flight Crew Interface Test (FCIT) on the KOUNOTORI5 from the perspective of an experienced astronaut.
During the meeting, results of the HTV5 mission and improvements for the future, as well as a review of the changed systems and plan to deliver batteries for the ISS aboard the KOUNOTORI6 were discussed.
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi attends a board meeting of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) in the Asian region
On November 6 and 7, a board meeting of the Association of Space Explorers in the Asian region (ASE-Asia) was held in Beijing, China.
During the board meeting, their annual activities, status of China’s manned space activities, and cooperation on space education events in Asia were discussed.
ASE is a worldwide, non-profit organization consisting of 37 countries, and more than 400 astronauts and cosmonauts who have flown in space.
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