Koichi Wakata
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese engineer
and a JAXA
astronaut
. Wakata is a veteran of four NASA
Space Shuttle
missions and a long-duration stay on the International Space Station
. During a nearly two decade career in spaceflight he has logged five months in space. Wakata is currently assigned to the Soyuz TMA-11M
/Expedition 38
/Expedition 39
long duration spaceflight scheduled for 2013-2014. He will be the first Japanese commander of the Space Station during Expedition 39.
, Japan, earned a Bachelor of Science
degree in Aeronautical Engineering
in 1987, a Master of Science
degree in Applied Mechanics
in 1989, and a Doctorate
in Aerospace Engineering
in 2004 from Kyushu University
. He worked as a structural engineer for Japan Airlines
.
(NASDA) (now JAXA
) as an astronaut candidate in 1992, and trained at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Wakata has held a number of assignments, and during STS-85, Wakata acted as NASDA Assistant Payload Operations Director for the Manipulator Flight Demonstration, a robotic arm experiment for the Japanese Experiment Module
of the International Space Station
(ISS). In December 2000, he became a NASA robotics instructor astronaut. In July 2006, he served as the commander of the 10th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO
) mission, a seven-day undersea expedition at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
’s Aquarius laboratory
located off the coast of Florida
. In August 2006, he started flight engineer training for Russian Soyuz spacecraft
in preparation for a long duration stay on the ISS.
in 1996, and then returned to space on STS-92
in 2000. Wakata was last stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to earth aboard Endeavour with the STS-127
crew on July 31, 2009.
, Wakata became the first Japanese Mission Specialist. STS-72 retrieved the Space Flyer Unit
(launched from Japan ten months earlier), deployed and retrieved the OAST-Flyer, and evaluated techniques to be used in the assembly of the International Space Station.
During STS-72, Wakata and fellow astronaut Dan Barry
became the first people to play the game Go
in space. Wakata and Barry used a special Go set, which was named Go Space, designed by Wai-Cheung Willson Chow.
during STS-92
. The crew attached the Z1 truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter
(PMA3) to the station using Discovery
’s robotic arm. STS-92 prepared the station for its first resident crew.
, which launched to the ISS in March 2009. STS-119 delivered the S6 Truss segment to the ISS. Wakata remained onboard the ISS to serve as flight engineer on Expedition 18
, while STS-119 undocked and returned to Earth without him.
, scheduled to begin in winter of 2008. He has launched with the crew of STS-119
and was the first resident station crew member from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He served as Flight Engineer
2 on Expedition 18
, Expedition 19
and Expedition 20
, before returning home as a Mission Specialist on STS-127
.
Wakata was the first Japanese astronaut to take part in a long duration mission on the station.
Wakata is the first person to serve on five different crews without returning to Earth: STS-119
, Expedition 18
, Expedition 19
, Expedition 20
and STS-127
.
During his time on the station, he took part in experiments suggested by the public, including flying a 'magic carpet', folding laundry and push ups.
As an experiment on the station, he wore the same special underpants for a month without washing them.
crew after being a flight engineer on the station. American and Canadian astronauts aboard STS-127 delivered and installed the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility (JEM-EF), and the Exposed Section (JEM-ES).
, and has logged over 2100 hours in a variety of aircraft.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and a JAXA
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
The , or JAXA, is Japan's national aerospace agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on October 1, 2003, as an Independent Administrative Institution administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
. Wakata is a veteran of four NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
missions and a long-duration stay on the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. During a nearly two decade career in spaceflight he has logged five months in space. Wakata is currently assigned to the Soyuz TMA-11M
Soyuz TMA-11M
Soyuz TMA-11M is a planned 2013 flight to the International Space Station. It will transport three members of the Expedition 38 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-11M will be the 120th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967...
/Expedition 38
Expedition 38
Expedition 38 is scheduled to be the thirty-eighth expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:Sources:JAXA, NASA, ESA-External links:*...
/Expedition 39
Expedition 39
Expedition 39 is scheduled to be the thirty-ninth expedition to the International Space Station. It will also mark the first time the ISS is under command of a Japanese astronaut - space veteran Koichi Wakata...
long duration spaceflight scheduled for 2013-2014. He will be the first Japanese commander of the Space Station during Expedition 39.
Career
Wakata was born in Ōmiya, SaitamaOmiya, Saitama
was a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In 2001 it merged with two other cities to form the city of Saitama. Since 1 April 2003, the area of former Ōmiya city is Kita-ku, Minuma-ku, Nishi-ku, and Ōmiya-ku of Saitama city.-Origin and pre-modern history:...
, Japan, earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Aeronautical Engineering
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
in 1987, a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Applied Mechanics
Applied mechanics
Applied mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences and the practical application of mechanics. Applied mechanics examines the response of bodies or systems of bodies to external forces...
in 1989, and a Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
in 2004 from Kyushu University
Kyushu University
Kyushu University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 8th in 2010 and 2009 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...
. He worked as a structural engineer for Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
.
JAXA career
Wakata was selected by the National Space Development Agency of JapanNational Space Development Agency of Japan
of Japan, or NASDA, was a Japanese national space agency established on October 1, 1969 under the National Space Development Agency Law only for peaceful purposes...
(NASDA) (now JAXA
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
The , or JAXA, is Japan's national aerospace agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on October 1, 2003, as an Independent Administrative Institution administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the...
) as an astronaut candidate in 1992, and trained at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Wakata has held a number of assignments, and during STS-85, Wakata acted as NASDA Assistant Payload Operations Director for the Manipulator Flight Demonstration, a robotic arm experiment for the Japanese Experiment Module
Japanese Experiment Module
The Japanese Experiment Module , also known with the nickname , is a Japanese science module for the International Space Station developed by JAXA. It is the largest single ISS module. The first two pieces of the module were launched on space shuttle missions STS-123 and STS-124...
of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS). In December 2000, he became a NASA robotics instructor astronaut. In July 2006, he served as the commander of the 10th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO
NEEMO
NEEMO, an acronym for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a NASA program for studying human survival in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in preparation for future space exploration....
) mission, a seven-day undersea expedition at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
’s Aquarius laboratory
Aquarius (laboratory)
The NOAA Aquarius Reef Base is an underwater habitat located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, adjacent to Conch Reef. It is one of the few underwater research facilities in the world dedicated to science...
located off the coast of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In August 2006, he started flight engineer training for Russian Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
in preparation for a long duration stay on the ISS.
Spaceflight experience
Wakata first flew aboard STS-72STS-72
STS-72 was a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission to capture and return to Earth a Japanese microgravity research spacecraft known as Space Flyer Unit...
in 1996, and then returned to space on STS-92
STS-92
STS-92 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. STS-92 marked the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle...
in 2000. Wakata was last stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to earth aboard Endeavour with the STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
crew on July 31, 2009.
STS-72
On STS-72STS-72
STS-72 was a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission to capture and return to Earth a Japanese microgravity research spacecraft known as Space Flyer Unit...
, Wakata became the first Japanese Mission Specialist. STS-72 retrieved the Space Flyer Unit
Space Flyer Unit
The was a spacecraft which was launched by Japan on Mar. 18, 1995.- Technical data :The Space Flyer Unit was launched from Tanegashima Space Center from a H-2 vehicle. It was carrying testing materials and research data that held value to NASA. They retrieved the data from the Space Flyer Unit by...
(launched from Japan ten months earlier), deployed and retrieved the OAST-Flyer, and evaluated techniques to be used in the assembly of the International Space Station.
During STS-72, Wakata and fellow astronaut Dan Barry
Daniel T. Barry
Daniel Thomas Barry is an American engineer, scientist, and a retired NASA astronaut. He was a contestant on the CBS reality television program Survivor: Panama-Exile Island...
became the first people to play the game Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
in space. Wakata and Barry used a special Go set, which was named Go Space, designed by Wai-Cheung Willson Chow.
STS-92
Wakata became the first Japanese astronaut to work on the assembly of the International Space StationAssembly of the International Space Station
The assembly of the International Space Station is a major aerospace engineering endeavour being conducted in Low Earth orbit by a consortium of governmental and inter-governmental space agencies....
during STS-92
STS-92
STS-92 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. STS-92 marked the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle...
. The crew attached the Z1 truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter
Pressurized Mating Adapter
The International Space Station uses three Pressurized Mating Adapters to interconnect spacecraft and modules with different docking mechanisms. The first two PMAs were launched with the Unity module in 1998 aboard STS-88...
(PMA3) to the station using Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
’s robotic arm. STS-92 prepared the station for its first resident crew.
STS-119
Wakata served as flight engineer on STS-119STS-119
-Crew notes:This mission was originally scheduled to bring the Expedition 9 crew to the ISS. This crew would have consisted of:-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: * Apogee:...
, which launched to the ISS in March 2009. STS-119 delivered the S6 Truss segment to the ISS. Wakata remained onboard the ISS to serve as flight engineer on Expedition 18
Expedition 18
Expedition 18 was the 18th permanent crew of the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Michael Fincke, and Yuri Lonchakov were launched on 12 October 2008, aboard Soyuz TMA-13. With them was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who joined the Expedition 18 crew after launching on STS-126 and...
, while STS-119 undocked and returned to Earth without him.
International Space Station
In February 2007, Wakata was assigned as a flight engineer to ISS Expedition 18Expedition 18
Expedition 18 was the 18th permanent crew of the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Michael Fincke, and Yuri Lonchakov were launched on 12 October 2008, aboard Soyuz TMA-13. With them was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who joined the Expedition 18 crew after launching on STS-126 and...
, scheduled to begin in winter of 2008. He has launched with the crew of STS-119
STS-119
-Crew notes:This mission was originally scheduled to bring the Expedition 9 crew to the ISS. This crew would have consisted of:-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: * Apogee:...
and was the first resident station crew member from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He served as Flight Engineer
Flight engineer
Flight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...
2 on Expedition 18
Expedition 18
Expedition 18 was the 18th permanent crew of the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Michael Fincke, and Yuri Lonchakov were launched on 12 October 2008, aboard Soyuz TMA-13. With them was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who joined the Expedition 18 crew after launching on STS-126 and...
, Expedition 19
Expedition 19
Expedition 19 was the 19th long-duration flight to the International Space Station. This expedition launched on 26 March 2009, at 11:49 UTC aboard the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft. Expedition 19 was the final three crew member expedition, before the crew size increased to six crew members with...
and Expedition 20
Expedition 20
Expedition 20 was the twentieth long-duration flight to the International Space Station. The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station...
, before returning home as a Mission Specialist on STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
.
Wakata was the first Japanese astronaut to take part in a long duration mission on the station.
Wakata is the first person to serve on five different crews without returning to Earth: STS-119
STS-119
-Crew notes:This mission was originally scheduled to bring the Expedition 9 crew to the ISS. This crew would have consisted of:-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: * Apogee:...
, Expedition 18
Expedition 18
Expedition 18 was the 18th permanent crew of the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Michael Fincke, and Yuri Lonchakov were launched on 12 October 2008, aboard Soyuz TMA-13. With them was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who joined the Expedition 18 crew after launching on STS-126 and...
, Expedition 19
Expedition 19
Expedition 19 was the 19th long-duration flight to the International Space Station. This expedition launched on 26 March 2009, at 11:49 UTC aboard the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft. Expedition 19 was the final three crew member expedition, before the crew size increased to six crew members with...
, Expedition 20
Expedition 20
Expedition 20 was the twentieth long-duration flight to the International Space Station. The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station...
and STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
.
During his time on the station, he took part in experiments suggested by the public, including flying a 'magic carpet', folding laundry and push ups.
As an experiment on the station, he wore the same special underpants for a month without washing them.
STS-127
Wakata returned to Earth in July 2009 aboard Endeavour with the STS-127STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
crew after being a flight engineer on the station. American and Canadian astronauts aboard STS-127 delivered and installed the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility (JEM-EF), and the Exposed Section (JEM-ES).
Personal information
Wakata is married to the former Stefanie von Sachsen-Altenburg of Bonn, Germany, and has a 11-year-old son. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated pilotAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, and has logged over 2100 hours in a variety of aircraft.