JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata wears a SpaceX launch and entry suit while becoming familiar with the Crew Dragon spacecraft that will take Wakata and his crewmates to the International Space Station as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station.
JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata wears a SpaceX launch and entry suit while becoming familiar with the Crew Dragon spacecraft that will take Wakata and his crewmates to the International Space Station as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station.
JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata poses for a portrait before his launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
A SpaceX launch and entry suit bears a Japanese flag, and the name of JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata – a crewmember of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station.
From left to right: JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, and NASA Astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada receive training on their crew capsule at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts train on May 13, 2022 for their upcoming International Space Station mission in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. From left to right: JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, and NASA Astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann.
NASA Astronauts Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata pose for a photograph at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, after a training for their upcoming Crew-5 mission.
NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina train for their upcoming SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station inside a mockup facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Credit: NASA/James Blair
JSC2007-E-19404 (19 March 2007) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, flight engineer
S92-44960 (9 Sept. 1992) --- Astronaut Koichi Wakata, mission specialist representing the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), Japan.
PHOTO DATE: 01-28-09 LOCATION: NBL SUBJECT: Koichi Wakata during EVA Review installing JEM-EF at the NBL PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD X34753
PHOTO DATE: 01-28-09 LOCATION: NBL SUBJECT: Koichi Wakata during EVA Review installing JEM-EF at the NBL PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD X34753
PHOTO DATE: 01-28-09 LOCATION: NBL SUBJECT: Koichi Wakata during EVA Review installing JEM-EF at the NBL PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD X34753
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata is seen during a traditional tree planting ceremony at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Wakata was in Karaganda to help support the Expedition 55 crew Soyuz landing from the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, and NASA astronaut Nicole Mann prepare for the unlikely event of an emergency before their mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/James Blair
STS072-321-002 (11-20 Jan. 1996) --- Astronaut Koichi Wakata operates the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) on the aft flight deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour. Representing Japan’s National Space Development Agency (NASDA), Wakata joined five other astronauts for a week and a half of activity aboard Endeavour.
iss068e032600 (Dec. 24, 2022) --- Expedition 68 Flight Engineers (from left) Josh Cassada of NASA, Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Frank Rubio of NASA, pose for a photograph while sharing a meal on Christmas Eve inside the International Space Station's Unity module.
NASA Astronaut Rick Mastracchio and JAXA Astronaut Koichi Wakata visit the Earth Science Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center in the GPM control room with James Pawloski
PHOTO DATE: 12-22-08 LOCATION: Bldg 9NW, CCTII SUBJECT: STS-119 crew and Koichi Wakata training during the PRL IN/EG suited training. PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMES BLAIR
STS072-310-007 (11-20 Jan. 1996) --- Astronauts Brent W. Jett Jr. (left) and Koichi Wakata work with the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) experiment at the Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (STES) on the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s mid-deck. Jett, making his first flight in space, served as the crew’s pilot, while Wakata served as a mission specialist. Wakata, also a first time Shuttle crew member, represents Japan’s National Space Development Agency (NASDA).
S95-00359 (12-14 September 1992) --- Astronaut candidate Koichi Wakata gathers his parachute following a simulated chute drop at Vance Air Force Base. Wakata is one of seven international mission specialist candidates who joined 19 United States astronaut candidates for the three-day parachute/survival training school at the Oklahoma Base. EDITORS NOTE: Since this photograph was taken, Wakata has been named as mission specialist for the STS-72 mission.
ISS037-E-028162 (9 Nov. 2013) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, works with hardware in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-053720 (20 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, works in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-046882 (13 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, uses a still camera at a window in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-046880 (13 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, uses a still camera at a window in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
JSC2008-E-039235 (12 May 2008) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 flight engineer, gives a "thumbs-up" signal as he awaits the start of a training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Wakata is attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit.
STS072-315-034 (11-20 Jan. 1996) --- During off-duty time aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, astronauts Daniel T. Barry (left) and Koichi Wakata join on the middeck for an in-space version of a Japanese game called "Go". Because of microgravity, the usual rock-like pieces that are moved about on the board by each player had to give way to tiny stick-on pieces. Wakata represents Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA).
S95-00352 (12-14 September 1992) --- Astronaut candidate Koichi Wakata gets assistance with his parachute following a simulated chute drop at Vance Air Force Base. Wakata, representing the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan, is one of seven international mission specialist candidates who joined 19 United States astronaut candidates for the three-day parachute/survival training school at the Oklahoma Base. EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this photograph was taken, Wakata has been named as mission specialist for the STS-72 mission.
JSC2008-E-039248 (12 May 2008) --- Attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 flight engineer, awaits the start of a training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.
From left to right: NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina prepare for the unlikely event of an emergency by training inside a mockup that models the real orbiting lab at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas ahead of their upcoming International Space Station mission. Credit: NASA/James Blair
iss038e024951 (1/5/2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Koichi Wakata strapped into his sleeping bag in his sleep station located in the Node 2. Circadian Rhythms investigates the role of synchronized circadian rhythms, or the “biological clock,” and how it changes during long-duration spaceflight.
ISS038-E-035473 (24 Jan. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, is pictured wearing the Penguin-3 antigravity pressure/stress suit in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-030425 (13 Jan. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, poses for a photo at a window in the Cupola of the International Space Station while the Canadarm2 robotic arm's Latching End Effector (LEE) appears to be looking through the window from outside the station.
iss068e017277 (Oct. 17, 2022) --- Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) switches an Argon gas supply line to maintain gas pressure aboard the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module.
iss068e029649 (Dec. 14, 2022) --- Astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is seen with an apparatus from the Liquid Behavior investigation. Liquid Behavior studies how liquids move in a container in simulated lunar gravity to generate data that can be used to improve lunar rover designs.
ISS039-E-003124 (14 March 2014) --- Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) clowns with Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot, in the U.S. lab Destiny while preparing for a public TV event.
iss068e021004 (Nov. 7, 2022) --- The two main islands of New Zealand, North Island (at bottom) and South Island (at top), are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 269 miles above the island country east of Auckland. Credit: Koichi Wakata/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
ISS020-E-019069 (11 July 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 20 flight engineer, is pictured near three Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) floating freely in the Harmony node of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-041425 (2 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, gets a workout on the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-041406 (2 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, gets a workout on the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-035470 (24 Jan. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, is pictured wearing the Penguin-3 antigravity pressure/stress suit in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-035476 (24 Jan. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, is pictured wearing the Penguin-3 antigravity pressure/stress suit in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-041409 (2 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, gets a workout on the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.
JSC2008-E-039255 (12 May 2008) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 flight engineer, and NASA astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke (partially obscured), commander, are about to be submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Wakata and Fincke are attired in training versions of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. SCUBA-equipped divers are in the water to assist the crewmembers in their rehearsal, intended to help prepare them for work on the exterior of the International Space Station.
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, performs the traditional door signing at the Cosmonaut hotel prior to departing the hotel for launch in a Soyuz rocket with fellow crew mates, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Tyurin, Wakata, and, Mastracchio will launch in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Peshkova)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) answers questions from the media during a welcome home ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Karaganda Airport in Kazakhstan. Wakata, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft just a few hours earlier near the town of Zhezkazgan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
S95-00355 (12-14 September 1992) --- Astronaut candidate Koichi Wakata prepares to jump off a box during a parachute landing demonstration at Vance Air Force Base. This portion of the training is designed to familiarize the trainees with the proper way to hit the ground following a parachute jump. Looking on are astronaut candidates Michael L. Gernhardt (left) and Andrew W. S. Thomas (second left), along with a United States Air Force (USAF) instructor. Wakata, representing Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA), is one of seven international mission specialist candidates who joined 19 United States astronaut candidates, including Gernhardt and Thomas, for the three-day parachute/survival training school at the Oklahoma Base. EDITORS NOTE: Since this photograph was taken, Gernhardt, Wakata and Thomas have been named as mission specialists for the STS-69, STS-72 and STS-77 missions, respectively.
JSC2008-E-039240 (12 May 2008) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 flight engineer, gets help donning a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.
JSC2008-E-052124 (16 July 2008) --- Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, the STS-119 crewmembers await the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center. From the left are Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 flight engineer; NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli, STS-119 pilot; Lee Archambault, commander; John Phillips, Joseph Acaba, Richard Arnold and Steve Swanson, all mission specialists.
S95-00356 (14 September 1992) --- Several 1992 astronaut candidates wait in line to receive gear for one of several phases of parachute familiarization and survival training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Recognizable in the picture are Jerry M. Linenger, Scott E. Parazynski, Koichi Wakata, Andrew S. W. Thomas, Mary Ellen Weber, Joseph R. Tanner, John M. Grunsfeld and Richard M. Linnehan.
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is helped of the Soyuz Capsule just minutes after he and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is helped of the Soyuz Capsule just minutes after he and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) gives a thumbs up to his NASA and Russian partners as he is carried from the Soyuz Capsule just minutes after he and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
ISS038-E-019279 (21 Dec. 2013) --- Inside the U.S. lab Destiny, Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata is pictured at the robotic workstation for controlling the International Space Station's remote manipulator system or Canadarm2. The astronaut, who represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, was supporting the Dec. 21 spacewalk of NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins.
ISS038-E-001285 (14 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Columbus laboratory, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, participates in a session with the European Space Agency-sponsored Reversible Figures experiment, which tracks how the adaptation of an astronaut?s neurovestibular system to weightlessness may alter 3-D visual perception.
ISS038-E-007119 (21 Nov. 2013) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, wears ultrasound gear around his legs while performing the Integrated Resistance and Aerobic Training Study (Sprint) experiment in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station. Sprint evaluates the use of high intensity, low volume exercise training to minimize loss of muscle, bone, and cardiovascular function in station crew members during long-duration missions.
ISS038-E-009211 (26 Nov. 2013) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, performs a VO2max session for the SPRINT investigation while using the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System (CEVIS) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. VO2max uses the Portable Pulmonary Function System (PPFS), CEVIS, Pulmonary Function System (PFS) gas cylinders and mixing bag system, plus multiple other pieces of hardware to measure oxygen uptake and cardiac output.
ISS038-E-019291 (21 Dec. 2013) --- Inside the U.S. lab Destiny, Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata is pictured at the robotic workstation for controlling the International Space Station's remote manipulator system or Canadarm2. The astronaut, who represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, was supporting the Dec. 21 spacewalk of NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins.
ISS020-E-019064 (11 July 2009) --- NASA astronaut Michael Barratt (left) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, both Expedition 20 flight engineers, perform a check of the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Beacon / Beacon Tester in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-040103 (30 Jan. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, prepares to install a Cubesat deployer, also known as the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD), inside the airlock in the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory. The SSOD is scheduled to release a set of six tiny satellites known as NanoRacks Cubesats on Feb. 6. The Cubesats were delivered Jan. 12 aboard Orbital Sciences' Cygnus commercial cargo craft.
ISS038-E-041429 (4 Feb. 2014) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, floats into the Experiment Logistics Modules-Pressurized Section (ELM-PS) of the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory during an in-flight event with his alma mater, Kyushu University in Japan and officials from the Fukuoka Prefecture.
ISS038-E-019276 (21 Dec. 2013) --- Inside the U.S. lab Destiny, this photograph provides an overall view of the robotic workstation for controlling the International Space Station's remote manipulator system or Canadarm2. Astronaut Koichi Wakata, who represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, spent most of the work day supporting the Dec. 21 spacewalk of NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins. It was the first of two spacewalks designed to change out a faulty water pump on the orbital outpost.
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, performs the traditional door signing at the Cosmonaut hotel prior to departing the hotel for launch in a Soyuz rocket with fellow crew mates, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Tyurin, Wakata, and, Mastracchio will launch in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency receives the traditional blessing from a Russian Orthodox priest at the Cosmonaut Hotel prior to his launch on the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station with Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, and, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Tyurin, Wakata, and, Mastracchio will launch in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) answers questions from the media during a welcome home ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Karaganda Airport in Kazakhstan. Wakata, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft just a few hours earlier near the town of Zhezkazgan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is seen wearing a ceremonial Kazakh hat and robe and holding a matryoshka doll presented to him during a welcome home ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Karaganda Airport in Kazakhstan. Wakata, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft just a few hours earlier near the town of Zhezkazgan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) answers questions from the media during a welcome home ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Karaganda Airport in Kazakhstan. Wakata, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft just a few hours earlier near the town of Zhezkazgan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
S92-E-5029 (12 October 2000) --- Astronaut Koichi Wakata, sought energy from a soft beverage packet prior to fulfilling an important role with the four scheduled STS-92 space walks and his other duties. From the shirt sleeve environment of the the Space Shuttle Discovery, the mission specialist who represents Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA), went on to man the controls for the remote manipulator system (RMS) or robot arm, to assist the four space walkers as they worked on the International Space Station (ISS). This photo was recorded with an electronic still camera (ESC) on Flight Day 2.
S95-00353 (12-14 September 1992) --- Several 1992 astronaut candidates brush the sand and gravel off one another following one of several phases of parachute familiarization and survival training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Recognizable in the picture are Wendy B. Lawrence, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Chris A. Hadfield, Winston E. Scott and Koichi Wakata. The trainees had just completed an exercise, which required their jumping off a box into a gravel pit, in order to familiarize them the proper way to meet the ground following an emergency parachute drop.
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during the final press conference held a day ahead of his launch with fellow crew mates, Expedition 38 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronauts, Koichi Wakata, left, and Takuya Onishi, along with NASA astronauts Doug Wheelock, and Kjell Lindgren, right, meet with children from a local orphanage at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The astronauts were in Karaganda to help support the Expedition 55 crew Soyuz landing from the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
iss068e032486 (Dec. 25, 2022) --- Expedition 68 Flight Engineers (from left) Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and Frank Rubio, all from NASA, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), pose for a festive portrait on Christmas Day inside the cupola as the International Space Station orbited 270 miles above the southern Atlantic Ocean.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronauts, Takuya Onishi, lower left, Koichi Wakata, 2nd from left standing, along with NASA astronauts Doug Wheelock, kneeling center, and Kjell Lindgren, standing center, meet with children from a local orphanage at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The astronauts were in Karaganda to help support the Expedition 55 crew Soyuz landing from the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during the final press conference held a day ahead of his launch with fellow crew mates, Expedition 38 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 38 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, right, talks as Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, listens, from quarantine behind glass, during the final press conference held a day ahead of their launch with fellow crew mate, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is helped of the Soyuz Capsule just minutes after he and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), left, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, center, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, sit in chairs outside the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule and pose for a group photo with the landing team after they landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon shortly after he, along with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina are returning after 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber).
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is carried in a chair to a medical tent just minutes after he and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata is seen inside an elevator onboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon shortly after he, along with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, landed while onboard the SpaceX Dragon Endoevour spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina are returning after 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber).
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata gives a thumbs up after being helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon shortly after he, along with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina are returning after 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber).
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata is seen after being helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon shortly after he, along with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina are returning after 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber).
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is seen laying in a seat liner as he and fellow crew mates, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, have their Russian Sokol suits pressure checked a few hours ahead of their launch, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Tyurin, Wakata, and, Mastracchio will launch in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Peshkova)
Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is helped of the Soyuz Capsule just minutes after he and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Matryoshka Dolls depicting Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), left, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, center, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA are seen at a welcome ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Karaganda Airport in Kazakhstan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronaut Nicole Mann of NASA signs a montage for NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy as her NASA SpaceX Crew-5 crewmates Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Josh Cassada of NASA look on, Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), left, and Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann of NASA, speak during NASA’s Science Day on the Hill event, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, left, Josh Cassada, center, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, center, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, right, are seen with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada of NASA, Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A model of the International Space station is seen as NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana meet with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada of NASA, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, left, Josh Cassada, center, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) signs a montage for NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Wakata, and fellow NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 crewmates Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann of NASA spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is seen through glass as he and fellow crew mates, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, have their Russian Sokol suits pressure checked a few hours ahead of their launch, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Tyurin, Wakata, and, Mastracchio will launch in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, left, Josh Cassada, center, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), left, and Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann of NASA, speak during NASA’s Science Day on the Hill event, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, left, Josh Cassada, center, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata answers questions during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), left, and Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann of NASA, speak during NASA’s Science Day on the Hill event, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, left, Josh Cassada, center, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, left, Josh Cassada, center, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)