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Japan and Piloted Space Missions

Japan's entrance into manned space flight is following the road pioneered by its European allies: initial missions on foreign spacecraft, participation in the International Space Station program, and preliminary research on the development of a small, reusable spaceplane. Three Japanese have flown in space, but in general national support in Japan for manned activities has not yet matched that of Europe. A piloted version of the HOPE space transportation system still awaits government approval.

Although the first Japanese astronaut, T. Akiyama, flew a mission to the Mir space station in late 1990 (Soyuz TM-11), this was a purely commercial venture, like the UK mission five months later, and did not enjoy government backing. The first officially sanctioned Japanese manned space flight occurred in September, 1992, on the US STS under the Spacelab J program, analogous to the German Spacelab D flights. The 8-day Spacelab J mission with astronaut M. Mohri was primarily devoted to conducting material sciences and life sciences experiments. Japan also played a major role in organizing the International Microgravity Laboratory program which first flew on the US STS in 1992 and was repeated in 1994. The latter mission included Dr. Chiaki Naito-Mukaias a payload specialist and the first Japanese female astronaut on the 15-day flight. A medically oriented STS mission with a Japanese astronaut is tentatively scheduled for February, 1998. Meanwhile, Koichi Wakata will be a member of the STS-72 crew in 1995 on a mission to retrieve the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (References 54-55).

The Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) was designed to serve as one of the four primary sections of the Freedom Space Station and has remained essentially unchanged in the current design for the International Space Station. JEM is actually a complex facility consisting of a Pressurized Module, Experiment Logistics Modules (Pressurized Section and Exposed Section), an Exposed Facility platform, an air-lock, and a remote manipulator arm. The Experiment Logistics Modules and the Exposed Facility are specifically designed to be replaced periodically to allow a diverse and evolutionary scientific experimentation program. Under current plans JEM will be delivered to the International Space Station in parts in the year 2000. When fully assembled, the module will probably possess a mass in excess of 30 metric tons. The engineering model of JEM was already under construction by the end of 1992, and in December, 1993, the Space Station Test Building was completed. Thermal tests on the structural model of JEM's Exposed Facility began in July, 1994. NASDA is managing the JEM program with the assistance of prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Japan Manned Space Systems consortium has also been formed to promote a long-term presence in space (References 56-64).

NASDA had planned to make HOPE a vital part of JEM's logistical infrastructure. Launched by the H-II booster, HOPE would deliver new equipment to the space station and return with the fruits of scientific experiments. This scenario is still possible if the program is approved later in the decade, but a manned version of the spaceplane is unlikely until about 2010 or later.

56. NASDA. National Space Development Agency of Japan, NASDA, 1994, pp. 11-12, 25-26.

57. NASDA Report, NASDA, No. 24, Spring 1994, pp.12-13 and No. 36, June 1995, pp. 5-6.

58. N.W. Davis, "Japan Prepares for Crewed Space Activities", Aerospace America, September 1994, pp. 6-8.

59. "Japanese To Announce JEM Experiment Selections", Space News, 19-25 July 1995, p. 14.

60. "Japan Begins $2.5-Billion Effort To Develop Freedom Station Module". Aviation Week and Space Technology, 20 August 1990, pp. 79, 82.

61. L. David, "Japan's Space Station Contribution Enters Critical Stage", Space News, 24-30 September 1990, pp.10,12.

62. K. P. Dawson, "Japan's Station Program Nears Start of Key Design Review", Space News, 25 November-1 December 1991, p. 18.

63. K.P. Dawson, "Japan Begins Building Station Module Model", Space News, 16-22 November 1922, p. 23.

64. E. Sekigawa, "Japan Committed to Space Station"Aviation Week and Space Technology, 15 April 1993 p. 59.

Sources and Resources

• Adapted from: Europe and Asia in Space 1993-1994, Nicholas Johnson and David Rodvold [Kaman Sciences / Air Force Phillips Laboratory]

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