ID :
47678
Thu, 02/26/2009 - 09:56
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/47678
The shortlink copeid
2 Japanese pilots from ANA, SDF selected to be astronauts+
TOKYO, Feb. 25 Kyodo - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Wednesday that an All Nippon Airways Co. co-pilot and an Air Self-Defense Force officer have been selected to become astronauts.
It is the first time since 1999 that new Japanese astronaut candidates have
been chosen. The selection of Takuya Onishi, 33, and Kimiya Yui, 39, -- the
first pilots to become candidates in Japan -- will bring the total number of
JAXA astronauts to 10, including retired Mamoru Mori.
The two will join JAXA in April to undergo training for two years at the U.S.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and elsewhere.
After being recognized as astronauts, they will conduct scientific experiments
in Japan's Kibo space laboratory on the International Space Station, as well as
work on the station itself. Their first space flight is expected to be in late
2013, according to JAXA.
At a press conference, Onishi said, ''I have a sense of self-renewal. I would
like to make use of my experience as a pilot as it requires the same kind of
expertise, such as assessing situations and being decisive.''
''I have had a sense of yearning for space since I was a kid,'' Onishi said.
Yui said he was raised in a place where he could see the beauty of the stars
and his dream was to be an astronomer or an astronaut.
''While I feel somewhat uneasy about the upcoming training, I will make my
utmost efforts so as not to fall short of expectations,'' Yui added.
Onishi, a native of Tokyo, joined ANA, Japan's second-largest airline, after
graduating from the University of Tokyo, while Yui, a native of Nagano
Prefecture and graduate of the National Defense Academy of Japan, is a
lieutenant colonel and works for the Defense Ministry's Air Staff Office.
It is the first time that a member of the Self-Defense Forces has become an
astronaut candidate.
JAXA has been recruiting astronauts since April last year, receiving a record
963 applications. Onishi and Yui were selected after undergoing
English-language and other knowledge tests, along with medical and
psychological screenings.
In 1999, three astronaut candidates were chosen.
It is the first time since 1999 that new Japanese astronaut candidates have
been chosen. The selection of Takuya Onishi, 33, and Kimiya Yui, 39, -- the
first pilots to become candidates in Japan -- will bring the total number of
JAXA astronauts to 10, including retired Mamoru Mori.
The two will join JAXA in April to undergo training for two years at the U.S.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and elsewhere.
After being recognized as astronauts, they will conduct scientific experiments
in Japan's Kibo space laboratory on the International Space Station, as well as
work on the station itself. Their first space flight is expected to be in late
2013, according to JAXA.
At a press conference, Onishi said, ''I have a sense of self-renewal. I would
like to make use of my experience as a pilot as it requires the same kind of
expertise, such as assessing situations and being decisive.''
''I have had a sense of yearning for space since I was a kid,'' Onishi said.
Yui said he was raised in a place where he could see the beauty of the stars
and his dream was to be an astronomer or an astronaut.
''While I feel somewhat uneasy about the upcoming training, I will make my
utmost efforts so as not to fall short of expectations,'' Yui added.
Onishi, a native of Tokyo, joined ANA, Japan's second-largest airline, after
graduating from the University of Tokyo, while Yui, a native of Nagano
Prefecture and graduate of the National Defense Academy of Japan, is a
lieutenant colonel and works for the Defense Ministry's Air Staff Office.
It is the first time that a member of the Self-Defense Forces has become an
astronaut candidate.
JAXA has been recruiting astronauts since April last year, receiving a record
963 applications. Onishi and Yui were selected after undergoing
English-language and other knowledge tests, along with medical and
psychological screenings.
In 1999, three astronaut candidates were chosen.
