S131-E-007319 (7 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (top) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, both STS-131 mission specialists, work on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery during flight day three activities.

JSC2009-E-258493 (2 Nov. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist (alternate portrait)

JSC2010-E-008557 (12 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a Thermal Protection System (TPS) Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) training session in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

JSC2010-E-008556 (12 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a Thermal Protection System (TPS) Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) training session in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

JSC2010-E-008553 (12 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a Thermal Protection System (TPS) Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) training session in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

JSC2010-E-008558 (12 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (foreground) and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson, both STS-131 mission specialists, participate in a Thermal Protection System (TPS) Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) training session in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

STS131-S-092 (20 April 2010) --- Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, left, and Dr. Kuniaki Shiraki, Executive Director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), talk near the space shuttle Discovery shortly after Discovery and the STS-131 crew landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 20, 2010. NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists, returned from their 15-day journey of more than 6.2 million miles. The STS-131 mission to the International Space Station delivered science racks, new crew sleeping quarters, equipment and supplies. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

JSC2010-E-009787 (15 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a simulation exercise using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) simulator in the Avionics Systems Laboratory at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. Crew instructor Joseph M. Nguyen assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2010-E-009785 (15 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a simulation exercise using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) simulator in the Avionics Systems Laboratory at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. Crew instructor Joseph M. Nguyen assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2010-E-009788 (15 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a simulation exercise using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) simulator in the Avionics Systems Laboratory at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. Crew instructor Joseph M. Nguyen assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2010-E-009784 (15 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a simulation exercise using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) simulator in the Avionics Systems Laboratory at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

STS131-S-093 (20 April 2010) --- Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, holds a Japanese flag near the space shuttle Discovery shortly after Discovery and the STS-131 crew landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 20, 2010. NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists, returned from their 15-day journey of more than 6.2 million miles. The STS-131 mission to the International Space Station delivered science racks, new crew sleeping quarters, equipment and supplies. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, holds a Japanese flag near the space shuttle Discovery shortly after Discovery and the STS-131 crew landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, April 20, 2010. STS-131 mission crew, Commander Alan G. Poindexter, Pilot James P. Dutton Jr. and Mission Specialists Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki returned from their 14-day journey of more than 6.2 million miles. The STS-131 mission to the International Space Station delivered science racks, new crew sleeping quarters, equipment and supplies. Photo credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston - JSC2010-E-008472 - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist

JSC2010-E-008472 (2 Nov. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist (official portrait)

S131-E-007058 (5 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, is pictured on the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery during postlaunch activities.

S131-E-007094 (6 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery during flight day two activities.

JSC2009-E-208975 (17 Sept. 2009) --- United Space Alliance crew trainer Robert (Rob) Tomaro briefs Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, in preparation for a water survival training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Yamazaki is wearing a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit.

ISS023-E-020666 (7 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (near frame center) joins NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson (foreground), Alan Poindexter (blue jersey, standing) and T.J. Creamer in the "busy" Destiny laboratory aboard the International Space Station. Creamer is Expedition 23 flight engineer, Poindexter is STS-131 commander and Yamazaki and Wilson are mission specialists for STS-131.

JSC2010-E-017745 (29 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for an ingress/egress training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Raymond Cuevas assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2009-E-287960 (9 Dec. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Toni Cost-Davis assisted Yamazaki.

ISS023-E-020665 (7 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (near frame center) joins NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson (foreground), Alan Poindexter (blue jersey, standing) and T.J. Creamer in the "busy" Destiny laboratory aboard the International Space Station. Creamer is Expedition 23 flight engineer, Poindexter is STS-131 commander and Yamazaki and Wilson are mission specialists for STS-131.

JSC2009-E-208875 (17 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, gets help in the donning of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a water survival training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technicians assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2010-E-017720 (29 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for an ingress/egress training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Raymond Cuevas assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2010-E-038828 (9 March 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, poses for photos during the press day event for the scheduled April mission. NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter and James Dutton will serve as the mission commander and pilot, respectively. They will be joined by astronauts Clayton Anderson, Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Stephanie Wilson along with Yamazaki, all mission specialists.

JSC2009-E-208020 (14 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Russ Baker assisted Yamazaki.

JSC2009-E-287959 (9 Dec. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Toni Cost-Davis assisted Yamazaki.

ISS023-E-020660 (7 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (left) joins NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson and T.J. Creamer in the "busy" Destiny laboratory aboard the International Space Station. Creamer is Expedition 23 flight engineer and the other two are mission specialists for STS-131.

JSC2010-E-055383 (21 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, addresses a large crowd of well-wishers at the STS-131 crew return ceremony on April 21, 2010 at Ellington Field near NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

JSC2010-E-055376 (21 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, is pictured during the STS-131 crew return ceremony on April 21, 2010 at Ellington Field near NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-009609 (13 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 commander; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist, work with lithium hydroxide (LiOH) canisters on space shuttle Discovery’s middeck while docked with the International Space Station.

JSC2010-E-006717 (5 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in an undocking timeline training session in the Mission Simulation Development Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-007210 (6 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, floats through a hatch on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery during flight day three activities.

ISS023-E-024622 (17 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, poses for a photo in the Cupola of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

ISS023-E-023861 (15 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, floats freely in the Leonardo Multi-purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) linked to the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

JSC2009-E-207906 (15 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist; and NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Expedition 22/23 flight engineer, are pictured during a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2010-E-038814 (9 March 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (center); along with NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Clayton Anderson, all STS-131 mission specialists, are pictured during an STS-131 preflight press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-010080 (14 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, eats a snack in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

S131-E-009602 (13 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works in the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) linked to the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

S131-E-008561 (10 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works in the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) linked to the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

S131-E-009282 (12 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, squeezes a water bubble out of her beverage container, showing her image refracted, on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery while docked with the International Space Station.

S131-E-007073 (5 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut James P. Dutton Jr., STS-131 pilot; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist, are pictured on the aft flight deck of space shuttle Discovery during postlaunch activities.

ISS023-E-020655 (7 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson (left) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, both STS-131 flight engineers, share perhaps their first session at this bank of computers and controls in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

S131-E-007149 (6 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut James P. Dutton Jr., STS-131 pilot; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist, work on the aft flight deck of space shuttle Discovery during flight day two activities.

S131-E-009285 (12 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, watches a water bubble float freely between her and the camera, showing her image refracted, on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery while docked with the International Space Station.

S131-E-009607 (13 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 commander; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist, work with lithium hydroxide (LiOH) canisters on space shuttle Discovery’s middeck while docked with the International Space Station.

JSC2010-E-038798 (9 March 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, fields a question from a reporter during an STS-131 preflight press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-010038 (14 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronauts Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer; and Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, pose for a photo in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

ISS023-E-023535 (14 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, is pictured in a window of the Cupola of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

ISS023-E-023929 (15 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works at a robotic workstation in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

JSC2009-E-208859 (17 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, participates in a water survival training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-207889 (15 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, is pictured during a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-207342 (11 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a training session in the shuttle mission simulator (SMS) in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

ISS023-E-020654 (7 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, enjoys her first in-space experience of weightlessness as she floats in the Kibo laboratory aboard the International Space Station shortly after arriving at the orbital complex on April 7.

S131-E-006100 (6 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, is pictured in the hatch which connects the flight deck and middeck of space shuttle Discovery during flight day two activities. NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, commander, is at right.

ISS023-E-023931 (15 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson (partially obscured), both STS-131 mission specialists, work at a robotic workstation in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

JSC2009-E-207346 (11 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a training session in the shuttle mission simulator (SMS) in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-008556 (10 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, floats freely in the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) linked to the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

S131-E-007212 (6 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, floats through a hatch on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery during flight day three activities.

JSC2009-E-207936 (14 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, awaits the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-207336 (11 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, participates in a training session in the shuttle mission simulator (SMS) in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center.

ISS023-E-020524 (7 April 2010) --- Marking the first occasion of more than one astronaut representing the Japan Aerospace Space Agency onboard any space vehicle at any time in history, JAXA astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Naoko Yamazaki reunite in the Japanese Kibo laboratory aboard the International Space Station shortly after it docked with the space shuttle Discovery on April 7. Noguchi, Expedition 22/23 flight engineer, is in the back end of a six month stay aboard the orbital complex. Yamazaki is a mission specialist with the STS-131 crew.

ISS023-E-020525 (7 April 2010) --- Marking the first occasion of more than one astronaut representing the Japan Aerospace Space Agency onboard any space vehicle at any time in history, JAXA astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Naoko Yamazaki reunite in the Japanese Kibo laboratory aboard the International Space Station shortly after it docked with the space shuttle Discovery on April 7. Noguchi, Expedition 22/23 flight engineer, is in the back end of a six month stay aboard the orbital complex. Yamazaki is a mission specialist with the STS-131 crew.

ISS023-E-020695 (7 April 2010) --- Marking the first occasion of more than one astronaut representing the Japan Aerospace Space Agency onboard any space vehicle at any time in history, JAXA astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Naoko Yamazaki reunite in the Japanese Kibo laboratory aboard the International Space Station shortly after it docked with the space shuttle Discovery on April 7. Noguchi, Expedition 22/23 flight engineer, is in the back end of a six month stay aboard the orbital complex. Yamazaki is a mission specialist with the STS-131 crew.

JSC2010-E-039299 (10 March 2010) --- The STS-131 crew members pose for a photo during a cake-cutting ceremony in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Pictured from the left are NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio, mission specialist; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Alan Poindexter, commander; Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?s Naoko Yamazaki and NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists.

JSC2010-E-017732 (29 Jan. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (left) and NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, both STS-131 mission specialists, attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, await the start of an ingress/egress training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

ISS023-E-020629 (7 April 2010) --- Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov (far left), Expedition 23 commander, prepares to greet the STS-131 crew as it comes aboard the International Space Station to spend several days in a number of busy joint activities for the two crews. Seen clearly in the hatch are astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 commander, and Japan Aerospace Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist.

The space shuttle Discovery is seen as it lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Discovery and the STS-131 mission crew, Commander Alan G. Poindexter, Pilot James P. Dutton Jr. and Mission Specialists Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki returned from their mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2009-E-208029 (14 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, participates in a training session near one of the full-scale trainers in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2010-E-038803 (9 March 2010) --- NASA astronauts Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (left) and Stephanie Wilson; along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki and Clayton Anderson, all STS-131 mission specialists, are pictured during an STS-131 preflight press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-287990 (9 Dec. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (center) and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson, all STS-131 mission specialists, participate in a training session in one of the full-scale trainers in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, the three are seated on the middeck for a post insertion/de-orbit training session.

JSC2009-E-240951 (16 Nov. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (foreground) and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson, both STS-131 mission specialists, participate in a Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT) mock-up training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance (USA) instructor David L. Williams assisted the crew members.

JSC2009-E-214329 (25 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2010-E-006681 (5 Jan. 2010) --- STS-131 crew members participate in an undocking timeline training session in the Mission Simulation Development Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Pictured clockwise from the foreground are NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, commander; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist; NASA astronauts James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, all mission specialists.

S131-E-008610 (10 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works in the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. WORF will provide cameras, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, camcorders and other instruments to capture Earth imagery through Destiny?s nadir window.

S131-E-008398 (9 April 2010) --- The seven STS-131 crew members -- working guests for several days aboard the International Space Station -- are seen in Japan's Kibo laboratory during a video downlink to the ground. NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter is at bottom right. Others pictured are astronauts James P. Dutton Jr. (top edge of frame), pilot; and Rick Mastracchio (from far left), Clayton Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Stephanie Wilson, along with Japan's Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists.

JSC2010-E-038813 (9 March 2010) --- STS-131 crew members are pictured during an STS-131 preflight press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center. From the left are NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?s Naoko Yamazaki and NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists.

ISS023-E-020621 (7 April 2010) --- Astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 mission commander who has led the Discovery crew on its mission to the International Space Station, displays a pleasant countenance as the hatches come open and two crews begin their traditional handshakes aboard the orbital outpost. Behind Poindexter is Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, mission specialist.

S131-E-007052 (7 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer; and Naoko Yamazaki (right), STS-131 mission specialist; along NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson, STS-131 mission specialist, pose for a photo in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

JSC2010-E-024625 (10 Feb. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (center) along with NASA astronauts Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (background) and Stephanie Wilson, all STS-131 mission specialists, participate in an ingress/egress timeline training session in a shuttle mock-up in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance (USA) instructor Gary W. Kilgo assisted the crew members.

S131-E-007943 (7 April 2010) --- The four women currently on the International Space Station pose for a photo in the Zvezda Service Module while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. From the left are NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, both STS-131 mission specialists; along with NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 23 flight engineer; and Stephanie Wilson, STS-131 mission specialist.

S131-E-009225 (12 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts Naoko Yamazaki (left), STS-131 mission specialist; and Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer, pose for a photo near a window in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

S131-E-009229 (12 April 2010) --- NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter (bottom right) and James P. Dutton Jr. (bottom left), STS-131 commander and pilot, respectively; along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts Naoko Yamazaki (upper left), STS-131 mission specialist; and Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer, pose for a photo near a window in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

ISS023-E-020639 (7 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (left) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki appear especially happy to be aboard the International Space Station shortly after the Discovery docked with the orbital outpost. Each of the two mission specialists is enjoying her first trip into space, and the two are joined by two other women and nine men for several days of joint activities as work continues on the station.

JSC2009-E-207894 (15 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts Soichi Noguchi (left), Expedition 22/23 flight engineer; and Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist; along with NASA astronaut James P. Dutton Jr., STS-131 pilot, participate in a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-009227 (12 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts Naoko Yamazaki (left), STS-131 mission specialist; and Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer; along with NASA astronaut James P. Dutton Jr. (bottom), STS-131 pilot, pose for a photo near a window in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

JSC2010-E-039298 (10 March 2010) --- The STS-131 crew members pose for a photo during a cake-cutting ceremony in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Pictured from the left are NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?s Naoko Yamazaki and NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists.

JSC2010-E-024621 (10 Feb. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (left) and NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, both STS-131 mission specialists, participate in an ingress/egress timeline training session in a shuttle mock-up in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-214346 (25 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2010-E-038822 (9 March 2010) --- NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 mission commander, poses for photos during the press day event for the scheduled April mission. NASA astronauts Poindexter and James Dutton will serve as the mission commander and pilot, respectively. They will be joined by astronauts Clayton Anderson, Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Stephanie Wilson, along with Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, all mission specialists.

S131-E-010338 (16 April 2010) --- In the grasp of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is placed back in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, both STS-131 mission specialists, were at the controls of the robotic arm in the Destiny laboratory. They grappled Leonardo and removed it from the Harmony node and placed it inside the shuttle's payload bay for the return home.

S131-E-010307 (15 April 2010) --- NASA astronauts Clayton Anderson (bottom), Rick Mastracchio and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (background); along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all STS-131 mission specialists, work in the Harmony node of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

S131-E-008397 (9 April 2010) --- The seven STS-131 crew members -- working guests for several days aboard the International Space Station -- are seen in Japan's Kibo laboratory during a video downlink to the ground. NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter is at bottom center. Others pictured are astronauts James P. Dutton Jr. (top edge of frame), pilot; and Rick Mastracchio (from far left), Clayton Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Stephanie Wilson, along with Japan's Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists.

JSC2010-E-024627 (10 Feb. 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (left) and NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, both STS-131 mission specialists, participate in an ingress/egress timeline training session in a shuttle mock-up in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-208976 (17 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a water survival training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-008497 (10 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works with the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. WORF will provide cameras, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, camcorders and other instruments to capture Earth imagery through Destiny?s nadir window.

JSC2009-E-287968 (9 Dec. 2009) --- Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson (right) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, both STS-131 mission specialists, are pictured prior to the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

S131-E-008624 (10 April 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works with the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. WORF will provide cameras, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, camcorders and other instruments to capture Earth imagery through Destiny?s nadir window.

JSC2009-E-083988 (20 April 2009) --- Astronauts Clayton Anderson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?s (JAXA) Naoko Yamazaki (left) and Stephanie Wilson, all STS-131 mission specialists, participate in a Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT) mock-up training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2009-E-207975 (14 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, participates in a training session in one of the full-scale trainers in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.