Japan is recruiting new astronauts. Of the 4,127 candidates, ten remain qualified today. Only a few will be chosen during the year and will be able to carry out missions to the ISS, but also to the Moon. We take stock of the astronaut profession in Japan with veteran Akihiko Hoshide, three missions on the clock!
International Astronautics Exhibition (IAC), Paris, September 22, 2022. At the stand of the Japanese space agency (Jaxa), not far from asteroid samples, astronaut Akihiko (Aki) Hoshide welcomes us. Exclusive interview with Futura.
Akihiko Hoshide: We have six active astronauts at Jaxa. We are currently in the process of selecting a few newcomers. We will share our experiences with new recruits. I do this regularly with new NASA recruits in Houston, where I work. I tell them about the mistakes I made. It is a supplement to the training provided by the instructors. It’s also interesting for me because new recruits often have a different point of view.
Akihiko Hoshide: I had the privilege of flying with Thomas Pesquet during the Crew-2 mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 200 days. We conducted multiple experiments, technology demonstrations and scuba trips outside the station. We did maintenance and added components like new solar panels. It was great, we were seven members on board, from NASA, Russia, Thomas Pesquet and myself. Admittedly, we have different origins, nationalities, careers, but we worked well together with the ground crews. Of course, the biggest achievement was coming back safe and sound.
Futura: You were commander of the ISS, how is it going?
Akihiko Hoshide: I had the privilege of being the commander for five months. The captain is in charge of the safety of the crew. It has priority over that of the station, and over the missions. He must also ensure the health and morale of the team. We are in constant contact with the ground which helps us to manage problems. It happens from time to time that the station is on alert. An alarm can sound in the middle of the night and force us to wake up and get to work, the whole team and not just the commander.
Futura: You were on the ISS when the Russian Nauka module docked with the station, which, following a failure, began to spin. How did you experience this situation?
Akihiko Hoshide: Before it attached to the station, we already knew that there could be problems. Ground control teams have prepared a plan. We ran it but the station started to lose orientation. However, we are well trained. So we followed the procedure and did what had to be done, in contact with the ground.
Futura: Your main workplace was the Japanese Kibo module. Did you manipulate student experiences during your assignment?
Akihiko Hoshide: Sure. There was the Kibo RPC [Kibo Robot Programming Challenge – challenge de programmation robotique, ndlr]. Students from several Asian countries participated to manipulate an orbiting robot in the module, with tasks to do. Some teams have succeeded, others have not, but that’s part of learning. They really liked the atmosphere of this competition.
Final of the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge, which took place under the control of Aki Hoshide, an awesome competition to learn space robotics. © Jaxa
Akihiko Hoshide: Our workplace depended on the schedule set by the ground crews. We all worked very well together, even if sometimes the results were not satisfactory. We are always in radio contact with the ground during our experiments, and we know that when a colleague speaks on the radio, there is a breakdown or a problem to be managed. The ground crews help us and tell us how to solve it. If a colleague is available, he comes to help others. Thomas came to help me, I helped another colleague, we all help each other.
Futura: Let’s go back to your first space mission: STS-124 (space shuttle). Can you tell us about your participation in the installation of the Kibo module?
Akihiko Hoshide: It took three different STS flights to deliver the module and install it in the station. The first was to deliver a sub-module for storage. The second flight (mine) brought the pressurized part. The last flight delivered the external section, ie platforms on the outside to which payloads can be attached. During the STS-124 mission, we attached the Kibo module to the ISS using the robotic arm [CanadArm de l’ISS] and performed several spacewalks to connect cables, remove shields, and install cameras outdoors.
Futura: You have flown on a Soyuz spacecraft, a Crew Dragon, and the Space Shuttle. What’s the next ship? Orion?
Akihiko Hoshide: [Éclat de rire] We’ll see, the choice is not mine. We’re training for the next mission where we might be called.
Akihiko Hoshide: I think it’s both. For the missions in the ISS, we have the technical skills because we are well trained. But we do not necessarily explore in terms of distance, but in science, culture and humanity. For the lunar missions, we are of course explorers but we must have many technical skills. Crews will need all experiences.
Futura: More than ever, is it the duty of astronauts and space actors to remind people of the role of space exploration to better understand our planet and global warming?
Akihiko Hoshide: Sure. There is not only astronautics but also observation satellites. Their data helps us understand better. Astronauts are witnesses to the fragility of our planet and their message can help raise general awareness.
Futura: Like the Russian and American crews of the Apollo-Soyuz mission (1975), in the midst of the Cold War, are astronauts still peacemakers today?
Akihiko Hoshide: Absolutely. We can say that the International Space Station fulfills this role today.