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 Soichi and I worked together on some development tests on OBSS as well as on repair techniques for the Shuttle’s thermal protection system. Some of the tests were conducted in a simulated zero-gravity environment created on an airplane. Though STS-114 is going to be his first spaceflight, Soichi is a specialist in extravehicular activities and has completed his training very successfully. He is also well-prepared for safety-related procedures, such as damage inspection using the OBSS, repairs to the hull of the Shuttle, and temporary evacuation to the International Space Station. Therefore, even if the same problem occurs that happened on Columbia, we are confident that we are much better prepared to prevent an accident from happening. I wish Soichi the best in the assembly of the International Space Station and in the successful completion of his mission. At the same time, I also would like him to fully enjoy the experience of staying in space, watching our beautiful Earth from way up there. Six JAXA astronauts, Takao Doi, Soichi Noguchi, Satoshi Furukawa, Akihiko Hoshide, Naoko Yamazaki, and I, are currently training in Houston. The Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo”, which is a manned space research facility on the ISS, will be launched to space by the Shuttle in the next couple of years. All six of us will be involved in the assembly flights of the Kibo, so we will soon be very busy with training for the flights. However, before all that, we must ensure the success of the return to flight of the Space Shuttle that Soichi is flying on. Without this success, there will neither be a launch for Kibo nor the completion of the International Space Station. As a member of the ground crew, I will do my best for a safe and successful mission, and I wish all the crew members a safe return. |
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 Astronaut Soichi Noguchi is in a spacewalk training.(Courtesy of NASA) |
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