NAME: Akihiko Hoshide
JAXA Astronaut
PERSONAL
DATA: Born in 1968
in Tokyo, Japan. He enjoys flying, rugby football, swimming, snow skiing, and
travelling.
EDUCATION: Graduated from the United World
College of South-East Asia, Singapore, in 1987; received a bachelor's degree in
mechanical engineering from Keio University in 1992, and a master of science
degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Houston Cullen College
of Engineering in 1997.
ORGANIZATIONS: The Japan Society for Aeronautical
and Space Sciences.
EXPERIENCE: Hoshide joined the National Space Development
Agency of Japan (NASDA) in 1992. For two years, he worked as a member of the
Nagoya Office and was involved in the development of the H-II launch vehicle.
From 1994 to 1999, he worked as an astronaut support engineer for the NASDA
Astronaut Office, supporting the development of the astronaut training program
and the evaluation of crew interface designs. He also supported astronaut
Koichi Wakata during his training and mission on STS-72.
In February
1999, Hoshide was selected NASDA (currently JAXA) as one of three Japanese
astronaut candidates for the International Space Station (ISS). He started the
ISS Astronaut Basic Training program in April 1999 and was certified as an
astronaut in January 2001. Since April 2001, he has participated in ISS Advanced
Training, as well as supporting the development of the hardware and operation
of the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" and the H-IIA Transfer Vehicle (HTV).
On October
1, 2003, NASDA merged with ISAS (Institute of Space & Astronautic Science)
and NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan) and was renamed JAXA (Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency).
In May
2004, he completed Soyuz- TMA Flight Engineer-1 training at the Yuri Gagarin
Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Star City, Russia.
NASA
EXPERIENCE: Hoshide
arrived at the Johnson Space Center in May 2004. In February 2006 he completed
Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings,
intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems,
physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival
training. Completion of this initial training qualified him for various
technical assignments within the Astronaut Office. Hoshide is assigned to crew
of STS-124. The STS-124 mission to the International Space Station will be the
second of three flights that will launch components to complete the Japanese
"Kibo" laboratory. Launch is targeted for May 2008.
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