1. The First Japanese Astronaut
2. Career
3. - Authored over 100 scientific publications
4. Spaceflight Experience
5. - Joined NASA's astronaut corps in July 1996
6. Missions

The First Japanese Astronaut

Birth and Education
- Born on January 29, 1948, in Yoshi, Hokkaido, Japan
- Graduated from Hokkaido Yoshi High School in 1966

- Earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Hokkaido University in 1970

- Obtained a Master of Science in Chemistry from Hokkaido University in 1972

- Completed a Doctorate in Chemistry from Flinders University of South Australia in 1976

Career

- Assistant and Professor at Hokkaido University (1975-1985)
- Visiting Scholar at the University of Alabama (1987-1989)

- Researcher at the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) (1992-1996)

- Authored over 100 scientific publications

- Member of various professional organizations, including the Japan Society of Applied Physics and the Japan Rocket Society

Spaceflight Experience

- Selected as a Payload Specialist for the Space Shuttle program by NASDA in 1985

- Joined NASA's astronaut corps in July 1996

- Completed general space training at NASA's Johnson Space Center (July 1996 - July 1998)

Missions

STS-47 (1992)
- First mission: September 12-20, 1992
- Served as a Payload Specialist aboard the Endeavour
- Mission duration: 7 days, 22 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds
- Conducted experiments in the Spacelab-J module
STS-99 (2000)
- Second mission: February 11-22, 2000
- Served as a Mission Specialist aboard the Endeavour
- Mission duration: 11 days, 5 hours, 39 minutes, 41 seconds
- Performed topographic mapping of Earth's surface
- Total spaceflight time: 19 days, 4 hours, 10 minutes, 5 seconds
Awards
- NASA Space Flight Medals (1992, 2000)
- FAI V.M. Komarov Diploma
Personal Life
- Married to Akiko Naka with three children

- Interests include skiing, tennis, table tennis, baseball, scuba diving, and ice skating

Cosmos