NASA picks Noguchi for 6-month space mission

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi was selected for his second mission in space--a six-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) that he says could pave the way for emigration from Earth.

Soichi Noguchi, via a linkup from Houston, talks to reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday about his planned space mission.(RYUICHI MATSUZAWA/ THE ASAHI SHIMBUN)

NASA announced Tuesday in the United States that Noguchi, 43, will be among crew members blasted into space aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in November 2009.

Noguchi, who belongs to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is expected to conduct scientific experiments in the Kibo laboratory, Japan's first manned space facility, and in other ISS modules during his mission.

"I am going to send as much footage as possible of everyday life in space through a camera," Noguchi, who is staying in Houston, told a news conference viewed in Tokyo on Wednesday via TV circuit. "I want Japanese children to see real life in space."

He also envisions longer-term applications from his assignment.

"I want to make my stay the first step toward emigrating to space," Noguchi said. "It will be important to control myself and get along with other crew members throughout the long period."

This will be Noguchi's second space mission, following his stint aboard the Discovery in 2005, when he worked on the repair of the exterior of the U.S. space shuttle.

It will also be the second time for a Japanese to fly aboard the Soyuz. Toyohiro Akiyama, then a journalist with Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., flew on the spacecraft in 1990.

Noguchi's long-term mission will follow the assignment of Koichi Wakata, 44, who is scheduled to stay in the ISS for three months from around December this year.

Noguchi had been widely seen as a prospective crew member for an ISS mission. As a backup for Wakata, Noguchi had been trained for extended space missions at U.S. and Russian facilities.

Satoshi Furukawa, 44, will serve as Noguchi's backup.

Noguchi, who earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Tokyo, joined the predecessor of JAXA in 1996.(IHT/Asahi: May 15,2008)