Nationality Japanese Name Soichi Noguchi Space agency JAXA Mission insignia First space flight STS-114 | Selection 1996 NASDA Group Education University of Tokyo Time in space 177d 3h 5m Role Engineer Other occupation Engineer | |
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Born April 15, 1965 (age 58)
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan ( 1965-04-15 ) Space missions Expedition 22, Soyuz TMA-17, STS-114, Expedition 23 Similar People Timothy Creamer, Oleg Kotov, Stephen Robinson, Eileen Collins, Charles Camarda Profiles | ||
Soichi noguchi expedition 22 crew
Soichi Noguchi (野口 聡一, Noguchi Sōichi, born 15 April 1965 in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and a JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a Mission Specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA's first "return to flight" Space Shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster. He was most recently in space as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 crew and Expedition 22 to the International Space Station, returning to Earth on 2 June 2010. He is the fifth Japanese astronaut to fly in space and the fourth to fly on the space shuttle.
Contents
- Soichi noguchi expedition 22 crew
- Viewpoint soichi noguchi 1 3 mp4
- Personal life
- Education
- Engineering career
- Astronaut career
- Other highlights
- References
Viewpoint soichi noguchi 1 3 mp4
Personal life
Soichi Noguchi was born in 1965 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. He considers Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, to be his hometown. He holds flight instructor certificate as CFII and MEI. Noguchi was a Boy Scout. He is married and has three children. His hobbies include jogging, basketball, skiing and camping.
Education
Noguchi graduated from Chigasaki-Hokuryo High School, in Chigasaki, in 1984, and then studied at the University of Tokyo, earning a bachelor's degree in 1989 and a master's degree in 1991, both in Aeronautical Engineering.
Engineering career
After graduation, Noguchi worked for Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, assigned to the research and development department of their Aero-Engine and Space Operations division. He worked on aerodynamic design of commercial engines.
Astronaut career
Noguchi was selected as an astronaut candidate by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (now part of JAXA) in June 1996. In August 1996, he reported to NASA's Johnson Space Center for NASA astronaut training. Noguchi qualified as a mission specialist after two years, and received training on Russian space systems at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in 1998. He was assigned to technical support for the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station and then, in April 2001, to the crew of STS-114 as a Mission Specialist.
Noguchi flew to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-17 on December 20, 2009. He served as a primary crew member (as Flight Engineer) of Expedition 22 and Expedition 23. While in space, he took many photographs of Earth which he shared via Twitter. He returned to Earth on 2 June 2010.
Other highlights
Noguchi voices himself in episode 13 and 26 of the anime series, Uchū Kyōdai (Space Brothers), which aired on June 24, 2012 and September 29, 2012 respectively.
On the 2nd August 2015, Noguchi spoke to 33,628 fellow Scouts during the Arena Event at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree, held in Japan.