Uchu koku kenkyu kaihatsu kiko (宇宙航空研究開発機構), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) chose two candidates for astronauts today. It's been 10 years since the last three candidates were selected. So far there have been 8 Japanese astronauts selected. These will be the 9th and 10th.
This was the 5th selection. 963, the most number in the past, applied last April. After 8 months selection process only 2 were selected. They are Mr. Takuya Onishi(大西卓也), 33 years old, who is a pilot of All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Mr. Kimiya Yui (油井亀美也), 39 years old, who is a pilot of Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF). This is the first case to be astronaut from pilot in Japan.
They will enter JAXA from this April and have 2 years training at NASA starting in June. After being accredited as astronauts, they will engage in the experiment at Kibo (きぼう) the Japanese proving ground of International Space Station (ISS). They are scheduled for space travel to the ISS in 2013 at the earliest.
Congratulations!!
No comments:
Post a Comment