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JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

	What are the important things you had to do as ISS commander?
	As commander I was responsible for the overall success of the mission, and so I had to know at least a little bit about everything. I didn't necessarily have to be an expert on everything, and I certainly trusted Salizhan to do the work that he was doing, mostly on the Russian segment. But a lot of that kind of work is done pre-flight, coordinating efforts with the flight directors and the ground teams, and figuring out how you're going to operate together. So I felt very well prepared for that role from my previous three shuttle flights, and fortunately everything went very well.
	You're a great commander, have great crew members and also had a wonderful team supporting you on the ground.
	Yes, great team, yes.
	Do you have advice for the person who becomes the commander of ISS?
	Well, actually, you know, just keep doing what you're doing. And you are a great astronaut. You're fantastic. I wish I could have flown with you again on the ISS, but that was my last space flight. You will make a great crew member on board in any capacity. So I can't wait to see you do a space walk, because you do very well in water. The STS-114 mission [launched on July 26, 2005], which you took part in, was the resumption of space-shuttle flight, and you had great initiative and played a significant role in the areas of robot engineering and spacewalks. There is no doubt that your achievements will be appreciated in future missions. You are a natural and so like Noguchi-san, you will be a star, I know.
	Thank you. I'll do my best. I wanted to go to space with you again. Why did you decide to leave?
	Well, it was time to. I had done everything I could do as an astronaut, and we have a long line of inexperienced astronauts waiting for their first missions, and so my role really should be to step aside and help them prepare for their missions, rather than to try to get another mission.

In the U.S. research laboratory Destiny (Courtesy of NASA)

(Courtesy of NASA)

Soyuz spaceship heading to Earth (Courtesy of NASA)

(Courtesy of NASA)

Astronaut Chiao aboard the Soyuz spaceship, returning to Earth (Courtesy of NASA)

(Courtesy of NASA)

Astronaut Chiao just after his return to Earth, April 25, 2005 (JST) (Courtesy of NASA)

(Courtesy of NASA)

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