Kōichi Wakata
| Kōichi Wakata | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country: |
 Japan
|
| Organization: |
 JAXA
|
| selected on | April 28, 1992 ( 14th NASA Group ) |
| Calls: | 4 space flights |
| Start of the first space flight: |
January 11, 1996 |
| Landing of the last space flight: |
May 14, 2014 |
| Time in space: | 347d 08h 32min |
| Space flights | |
|
|
Kōichi Wakata ( Japanese 若 田 光 一 , Wakata Kōichi ; born August 1, 1963 in Ōmiya (today: Kita-ku , Saitama ), Japan ) is a Japanese astronaut and space official.
education
Kōichi Wakata earned in his alma mater, Kyūshū University , a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering in 1987 , a master's degree in applied mechanics in 1989 and a doctorate in aerospace engineering in 2004 .
In 1989, Wakata joined Japan Airlines (JAL) as an engineer .
Astronaut activity
In June 1992 he was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASDA and sent to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992 . After his training as a mission specialist, he was deployed in various areas at NASA.
STS-72
On January 11, 1996 he flew into space for the first time as a mission specialist with the space shuttle Endeavor . The team captured the Japanese Space Flyer Unit, launched ten months earlier, and suspended the OAST platform for two days. Assembly techniques were simulated during two space exits in order to gain experience for the future international space station.
STS-92
On October 11, 2000, Wakata flew to the International Space Station on the Discovery space shuttle . Also on board were the lattice structure element Z1 and the pressurized mating adapter PMA-3 . Wakata operated the space shuttle's robotic arm during assembly.
First long-term stay on the ISS
In February 2007, Wakata was nominated as a flight engineer for ISS Expedition 18 , which at the time was still planned for summer 2008. Due to rescheduling, Wakata became a member of ISS expeditions 18, 19 and 20 . He started for the International Space Station on March 15, 2009 with the shuttle flight STS-119 , the return took place after the problems with the hydrogen ventilation when refueling the Endeavor for the STS-127 mission with a one-month delay on July 31, 2009.
Second long stay on the ISS, ISS command
For his second long-term stay on the ISS, Wakata took off on November 7, 2013 with the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft . He was a member of ISS Expedition 38 . In March 2014 he took command of ISS Expedition 39 and returned to Earth on May 14, 2014.
Summary
| No. | mission | function | Flight date | Flight duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STS-72 | Mission specialist | 1996 | 8d 22h 01m |
| 2 | STS-92 | Mission specialist | 2000 | 12d 21h 43m |
| 3 | STS-119 / STS-127 | Flight engineer | 2009 | 137d 15h 05m |
| 4th | Soyuz TMA-11M | Flight engineer / ISS commander | 2013/2014 | 187d 21h 44m |
After the astronaut career
Wakata is one of eight vice presidents of the Japanese space agency JAXA .
Honors
- The asteroid Wakata was named after him.
- In 2017 he was awarded the Medal for Space Science by UNESCO .
Private
Wakata is married to the German Stefanie von Sachsen-Altenburg and has one son.
See also
- List of spacemen
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of manned space flights
- List of manned missions to the International Space Station
Web links
- Short biography of Kōichi Wakata at spacefacts.de
- Biography of Kōichi Wakata in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ NASA Announces Three International Space Station Crews. NASA, February 12, 2007, accessed March 12, 2009 .
- ↑ NASA And Partners Name Upcoming Space Station Crew Members. In: NASA Press Release 11-044. NASA, February 18, 2011, accessed February 18, 2011 .
- ^ JAXA: Board of Directors. April 1, 2018, accessed July 30, 2018 .
- ↑ First UNESCO Space Science Medals awarded to four prominent scientists and space practitioners
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wakata, Kōichi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 若 田 光 一 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese astronaut and space official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 1, 1963 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saitama , Japan |