Soichi Noguchi
{{Short description|Japanese astronaut and engineer (born 1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Eastern name order|Noguchi Sōichi}}{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Soichi Noguchi
| native_name = 野口 聡一
| native_name_lang = ja
| image = Soichi Noguchi at Ellington Field, Departing for KSC, 2020 (Jsc2020e044848) (cropped) 2.jpg
| caption = Noguchi in 2020
| type = JAXA astronaut
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|04|15|df=y}}
| death_date =
| birth_place = Yokohama, Japan
| death_place =
| occupation = Engineer
| rank =
| status = Retired
| selection = 1996 NASDA Group
NASA Group 16 (1996)
| eva_time = 27 hours, 1 minute
| space_time = 344 days, 9 hours, 33 minutes
| missions = {{Unbulleted indent list
| STS-114
| Soyuz TMA-17 (Expedition 22/23)
| SpaceX Crew-1 (Expedition 64/65)
}}
| insignia = 45px 45px 45px 45px 45px 30px
}}
{{Nihongo|Soichi Noguchi|野口 聡一|Noguchi Sōichi|born 15 April 1965}} is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and former 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 also in space as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 crew and Expedition 22 to the International Space Station (ISS), returning to Earth on 2 June 2010. He is the sixth Japanese astronaut to fly in space, the fifth to fly on the Space Shuttle, and the first to fly on Crew Dragon.{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Veteran Japanese astronaut to become SpaceX's first international passenger – Spaceflight Now|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/14/veteran-japanese-astronaut-to-become-spacexs-first-international-passenger/|access-date=17 November 2020|language=en-US}}
His third flight was on board the Dragon 2 capsule for the SpaceX Crew-1 mission which launched successfully on 15 November 2020 and landed on 2 May 2021. This makes him the third astronaut to fly on three different launch systems.
He became a part-time lecturer at the graduate school of the University of Tokyo since 2011, a project professor since 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/research/people/staff-noguchi_soichi.html |title=Researcher's Profile |publisher=Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo |access-date=7 July 2022}} {{As of|2022|post=,}} he is a project professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Nihon University.{{cite web |url=https://aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp/faculty/teacher.html |language=Japanese |script-title=ja:教員一覧 |publisher=Department of Aerospace Engineering, Nihon University |access-date=7 July 2022}}
He retired from astronaut duty and quit JAXA on 1 June 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.jaxa.jp/press/2022/05/20220525-1_j.html |language=Japanese |script-title=ja:野口聡一宇宙飛行士記者会見 |date=25 May 2022 |publisher=JAXA |access-date=1 June 2022}} He assumed the honorary director of CupNoodles Museum since 7 June 2022,{{cite web |url=https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20220627-OYT1T50137/ |language=Japanese |script-title=ja:宇宙食ラーメン食べた縁、野口聡一さんが「カップヌードルミュージアム」名誉館長に |date=27 June 2022 |publisher=The Yomiuri Shimbun |access-date=3 July 2022}} the chief executive fellow of the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies{{cite web |url=https://www.i-ise.com/jp/press/2022/press_0620.html |language=Japanese |script-title=ja:NECグループシンクタンク 国際社会経済研究所の理事に宇宙飛行士の野口聡一氏が、７月１日付で就任 |publisher=Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies |date=20 June 2022 |access-date=7 July 2022}} and the advisor of IHI Corporation since 1 July 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.ihi.co.jp/ihi/all_news/2022/ir/1197971_3471.html |language=Japanese |script-title=ja:宇宙飛行士の野口聡一氏がIHIのエグゼクティブ・アドバイザーに就任 |publisher=IHI Corporation |date=27 June 2022 |access-date=3 July 2022}} He is the representative of {{nihongo|MiraiSpace Co., Ltd.|合同会社未来圏}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.miraispace.net/%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BE%E6%A6%82%E8%A6%81 |language=Japanese |script-title=ja:会社概要 |publisher=MiraSpace Co., Ltd. |access-date=3 July 2022}}
Personal life
Soichi Noguchi was born in 1965 in Yokohama, Japan. He considers Chigasaki, Japan, to be his hometown. He holds flight instructor certificate as CFII and MEI. Noguchi was a Boy Scout.{{cite web |author=Amiko Nevills |url=http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/soichi_noguchi_profile.html |title=STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi: Teaming up to Return to Flight, Scout's Honor |publisher=NASA |date=31 March 2005 |access-date=21 January 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://sts-114.jaxa.jp/en/noguchi/briefing/051001.html |title=General Mission Debriefing by Astronaut Soichi Noguchi |date=1 October 2005 |access-date=21 January 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/crew/intnoguchi.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041030221046/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/crew/intnoguchi.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 October 2004 |title=Preflight Interview: Soichi Noguchi |publisher=NASA |access-date=21 January 2008}} His hobbies include jogging, basketball, skiing and camping.{{cite web |url=http://spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/noguchi_soichi.htm |title=Biographies of International Astronauts-Noguchi Soichi Japan |date=30 December 2007 |publisher=Spacefacts |access-date=21 January 2008}}
Education
Noguchi graduated from Chigasaki-Hokuryo High School (Chigasaki, Kanagawa) in 1984, and then studied at the University of Tokyo, earning a B.S. degree in 1989 and an M.S. degree in 1991, both in Aeronautical Engineering. Later on, he furthermore obtained a Ph.D. degree in Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies in 2020, also from the University of Tokyo.{{cite web |url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/noguchi.html |title=Astronaut Bio: Soichi Noguchi (5/2008) |publisher=NASA |access-date=9 September 2009}}[https://www.space.com/soichi-noguchi.html Soichi Noguchi: JAXA astronaut and SpaceX Crew Dragon mission specialist] - website Space.com[https://www.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/research/people/staff-noguchi_soichi.html Researcher's Profile: Project Professor Soichi Noguchi] - website of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology of the University of Tokyo
Engineering career
File:STS-114 Soichi Noguchi EVA-1.jpg]]
File:Soichi 20Noguchi em 20alta.jpg
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.
In 2013, Noguchi served as cavenaut into the ESA CAVES{{Cite journal|date=2021-07-01|title=Speleology as an analogue to space exploration: The ESA CAVES training programme|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576521001478|journal=Acta Astronautica|language=en|volume=184|pages=150–166|doi=10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.04.003|issn=0094-5765|last1=Sauro|first1=Francesco|last2=De Waele|first2=Jo|last3=Payler|first3=Samuel J.|last4=Vattano|first4=Marco|last5=Sauro|first5=Francesco Maria|last6=Turchi|first6=Leonardo|last7=Bessone|first7=Loredana|bibcode=2021AcAau.184..150S|s2cid=234819922|hdl=11585/819077|hdl-access=free}} training in Sardinia, alongside David Saint-Jaques, Andreas Mogensen, Nikolai Tikhonov, Andrew Feustel and Michael Fincke.
=STS-114=
In April 2001 Noguchi was assigned to the crew of STS-114 as a mission specialist, which at that point the flight was targeting launch to the ISS in 2003 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, he was assigned to the crew alongside NASA astronauts Eileen Collins (Commander), James Kelly (Pilot) and Stephen Robinson (Mission Specialist), they were also scheduled to be joined by the Expedition 7 crew, who would remain aboard the ISS, replacing the Expedition 6 crew who would land aboard STS-114.{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/sts-114.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227210824/http://astronautix.com/s/sts-114.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 December 2016|title=STS-114|website=www.astronautix.com}}
Noguchi and the crew trained for this flight until February 2003, when STS-107, the flight immediately prior to STS-114, broke up while returning to Earth, destroying the Space Shuttle Columbia and killing the seven astronauts on board; following this all shuttle flights were delayed. Since STS-114 was scheduled to be the next mission to fly following STS-107, its designation and crew were assigned as the "return to flight" mission, their flight remained relatively similar although new tasked needed to verify the changes made to the shuttle and the shuttle flight plan were added to the flight. Also, the delay in shuttle flights meant the launch of Expedition 7 was moved from STS-114 to Soyuz TMA-2, leaving three more seats to be filled on STS-114, NASA astronauts Charles Camarda, Wendy Lawrence and Andrew Thomas were added to the crew to take their place.
File:STS-114 Shuttle launch closeup.jpg
STS-114 launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on 26 July 2005, over two years since the Columbia disaster.{{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-114.htm|title=Spaceflight mission report: STS-114|website=www.spacefacts.de}} The shuttle docked to the ISS two days later, the crew joined the Expedition 11 crew consisting of Russian Commander Sergei Krikalev and American Flight Engineer John Phillips. Prior to docking to the station, Discovery and its crew performed the first-ever rendezvous pitch maneuver, which allowed the two crew members aboard the station to photograph and observe the shuttle's heat shield, allowing them to discover any possible damage on the spacecraft's heat shield. The maneuver was added following the Columbia disaster, which was caused by damage to the heat shield.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/rtf_docking.html|title=NASA - Discovery, STS-114 Crew Arrive at Space Station|first=Terry|last=McDonald|website=www.nasa.gov}}
During his first stay aboard the station, Noguchi performed three spacewalks, all three alongside Robinson. On the first excursion outside, the two tested new techniques for repairing damaged tiles on the shuttle's heat shield, while the second and third spacewalks were both dedicated to upgrading and maintaining the space station, replacing a Control Movement Gyro which had suffered a mechanical failure in 2002 and installing an External stowage platform which was brought up aboard STS-114.{{cite web|url=https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/eva/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990502172616/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/eva/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1999-05-02|title=HSF - EVA's|website=spaceflight.nasa.gov}} Over the course of the three EVAs Noguchi spent 20 hours and 5 minutes outside the station.{{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/eva/international/english/noguchi_soichi.htm|title=Soichi Noguchi - EVA experience|website=www.spacefacts.de}}
Noguchi and his crew mates returned to Earth on 9 August 2005, carrying over 7,055 pounds of equipment and trash down from the station inside of a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which had been used to bring up supplies to the station two weeks earlier. Discovery{{'}}s landing at the Kennedy Space Center wrapped up a 13-day, 21 hour, 32 minute and 48 second spaceflight.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-114.html|title=NASA - STS-114|first=Lynda Warnock|last=KSC|website=www.nasa.gov}}
=Expedition 22/23=
Following STS-114, Noguchi was assigned as a backup ISS Flight Engineer for JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, who became the first Japanese astronaut to live long duration aboard the space station.{{cite web|url=https://iss.jaxa.jp/en/astro/biographies/noguchi/index.html|title=JAXA Astronauts - International Space Station - JAXA|website=iss.jaxa.jp}} Following his assignment as a backup for Wakata, JAXA assigned Noguchi to the crew of ISS Expedition 22/23 alongside Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and NASA astronaut Timothy Creamer.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-306_Expedition_crews.html|title=NASA - NASA Assigns Space Station Crews, Updates Expedition Numbering|website=www.nasa.gov}}
Noguchi and his two crew mates launched on 21 December 2009 aboard Soyuz TMA-17, he became the first JAXA astronaut and second Japanese citizen (following Tokyo Broadcasting System reporter Toyohiro Akiyama) to fly on a Soyuz spacecraft, the trio spent two days in free flight, before docking to the ISS and joining the Expedition 22 crew, joining American Commander Jeff Williams and Russian flight engineer Maksim Surayev.{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_soyuztma17.html|title=Mission of Soyuz TMA-17|website=www.russianspaceweb.com}}
File:Soyuz TMA-17 Launch (Expedition 22).jpg
During Expedition 22, the crew were visited by Space Shuttle Endeavour during its penultimate flight, STS-130, which delivered the Node 3 module and the Cupola to the station. During this flight Noguchi was also in space with his former STS-114 crewmate Stephen Robinson, who was mission specialist on STS-130.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/news/STS-130-05.html|title=NASA - STS-130 MCC Status Report #05|website=www.nasa.gov}} Soyuz TMA-16 returned to Earth on 18 March 2010, carrying Surayev and Williams and officially ending Expedition 22, following which Noguchi, Kotov, and Creamer transferred to Expedition 23, with Kotov taking command of the station.{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition23/index.html|title=Expedition 23|first=Mark|last=Garcia|date=12 February 2015|website=NASA}} Shortly after they were joined by Soyuz TMA-18, carrying Russian cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko as well as American astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/exp23_roll_out.html|title=NASA - Soyuz TMA-18 is Rolled Out to the Launch Pad|website=www.nasa.gov}}
Expedition 23 was visited by two Space Shuttle missions, STS-131 and STS-132. STS-131 delivered new supplies to the ISS aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, the flight also carried JAXA mission specialist Naoko Yamazaki, who joined Noguchi on the station for a short while, marking the first time two Japanese citizens were in space at the same time.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts131/news/STS-131-05.html|title=NASA - STS-131 MCC Status Report #05|website=www.nasa.gov}} Space Shuttle Atlantis launched to the station carrying the Russian Rassvet module to the station towards the end of Expedition 23.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/news/STS-132-05.html|title=NASA - STS-132 MCC Status Report #05|website=www.nasa.gov}}
Noguchi, joined by Kotov and Creamer undocked from the station and returned to Earth on 1 June 2010, the trio touched down in Kazakhstan following 163 days in space, bringing Noguchi's total time in space to 177 days.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition23/exp23_landing.html|title=NASA - Expedition 23 Crew Lands in Kazakhstan|website=www.nasa.gov}}
=Expedition 64/65=
On 7 November 2017 JAXA announced Noguchi had been assigned to the crew of Expedition 62/63 as a flight engineer, scheduled for launch toward the end of 2019.{{cite web|url=https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2017/11/20171107_noguchi.html|title=JAXA | JAXA Astronaut Soichi Noguchi Selected as a Member of ISS Expedition Crew|website=JAXA | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency}} On 31 December 2018 he revealed his personal patch for the flight, during a tweet revealing the patch he also announced his mission would be launched aboard a Commercial Crew Vehicle, although it was not made clear whether his flight would take place aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon or Boeing Starliner.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Astro_Soichi/status/1079764995196346368 |title=Tweet |publisher=twitter.com |access-date=10 June 2020}}
In March 2020 he was assigned to SpaceX Crew-1,{{Source-attribution|sentence=yes|{{Cite web|author=NASA|author-link=NASA|title=CCP - Press Kit|url=https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html|website=Commercial Crew Program|access-date=3 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525141150/https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=25 May 2020|quote=The Crew; Victor Glover SpaceX Crew-1; Mike Hopkins SpaceX Crew-1; Soichi Noguchi SpaceX Crew-1; Shannon Walker SpaceX Crew-1|url-status=live}} }}{{Source-attribution|sentence=yes|{{Cite web|last=Shireman|first=Kirk|title=HEO NAC May 2020 International Space Station Status |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/iss_nac_may_2020_final.pdf|website=nasa.gov|access-date=3 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603034915/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/iss_nac_may_2020_final.pdf|archive-date=3 June 2020|date=14 May 2020|quote=Fall 2020 – SpaceX Crew-1 Launch and Dock [...] Demo2 in May/2020, Crew-1 in Fall/2020|url-status=live}} }} the first operational flight of a SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft.{{Source-attribution|sentence=yes|{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html|title=DM2 CCP Press Kit 2020|publisher=NASA|date=24 March 2020|access-date=10 May 2020}} }} Noguchi launched alongside NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker,{{cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/31/nasa-jaxa-assign-two-more-astronauts-to-second-piloted-crew-dragon-flight/|title=NASA, JAXA assign two more astronauts to second piloted Crew Dragon flight – Spaceflight Now|first=Stephen|last=Clark}} on 15 November 2020. As well as Noguchi, all were members of the Expedition 64 crew on the International Space Station.{{cite web|last=Sheetz|first=Michael|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/nasa-spacex-to-launch-astronauts-in-may-despite-coronavirus-pandemic.html|title=How NASA and SpaceX plan to launch astronauts in May despite a pandemic|publisher=CNBC|date=3 April 2020|access-date=10 April 2020}} He is the third person, and first non–American, to launch aboard three different spacecraft; the Space Shuttle, the Soyuz, and the Dragon 2.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum38/HTML/002315.html|title=Astronauts with three different rides to space - collectSPACE: Messages|website=www.collectspace.com}}
During his third stay in space, he conducted his fourth career spacewalk with Kathleen Rubins on March 5, 2021, spending almost 7 hours outside the ISS.{{Source-attribution|sentence=yes|{{cite web|last=Moran|first=Norah|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2021/02/28/spacewalkers-conclude-todays-spacewalk/|title=Spacewalkers conclude today's spacewalk|date=28 February 2021|publisher=NASA|access-date=1 March 2021}}}}
He currently holds the world record of the longest gap between two consecutive spacewalks by the same person - 15 years and 214 days.{{cite web|url=https://earthsky.org/human-world/soichi-noguchi-longest-time-between-spacewalks-guinness/ | title=Astronaut Soichi Noguchi Sets A New Space Record | publisher=Earthsky.org |author=Kelly Kizer Whitt |date=April 16, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/4/japanese-astronaut-breaks-record-after-15-year-gap-between-spacewalks-654385 |title=Japanese astronaut breaks record after 15-year gap between spacewalks|publisher=Guinness World Records |date=April 12, 2021 |author=Masakazu Senda}}
Other highlights
Noguchi voices himself in episodes 13 and 26 of the anime series Uchū Kyōdai (Space Brothers), which aired on 24 June 2012 and 29 September 2012 respectively.{{cite web |last=Ransom |first=Ko |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-05-12/astronaut/yamato-fan-noguchi-plays-himself-in-space-brothers |title=Astronaut/Yamato Fan Noguchi Plays Himself in Space Brothers |website=Anime News Network |date=12 May 2012 |access-date=28 October 2017}}
On 2 August 2015, Noguchi spoke to 33,628 fellow Scouts during the Arena Event at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree, held in Japan.{{cite web |url=https://www.scout.org/sites/default/files/library_files/23rd%20World%20Scout%20Jamboree%20Final%20Report.pdf#page=65 |title=23rd World Scout Jamboree Final Report |author= |website=www.scout.org |pages=7, 65 |publisher=Scout Association of Japan |access-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-date=3 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103223642/https://www.scout.org/sites/default/files/library_files/23rd%20World%20Scout%20Jamboree%20Final%20Report.pdf#page=65 |url-status=dead }}
In 2021 he was recognized as a Genius 100 Visionary{{cite web |url=https://www.genius100visions.com |title=Genius: 100 Visions of the Future |website=Genius100Visions.com |access-date=November 27, 2022}} and contributed his vision of the future to the Genius 100 Foundation and shared it during his induction ceremony which was held on March 14, 2021, while he was aboard the International Space Station.{{cite web | url=https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/536591702/genius-100-foundation-celebrates-einstein-s-birthday-by-announcing-astronaut-dr-soichi-noguchi-as-g100-visionary | title=Genius 100 Foundation Celebrates Einstein's Birthday by Announcing Astronaut Dr. Soichi Noguchi as G100 Visionary | date=9 March 2021 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
=Sources=
{{Include-NASA}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Twitter}}
- [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/noguchi.html Official NASA Bio]
- [http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/soichi_noguchi_profile.html STS-114 Soichi Noguchi Crew Profile]
- [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/noguchi_soichi.htm Spacefacts biography of Soichi Noguchi]
{{NASA Astronaut Group 16}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noguchi, Soichi}}
Category:Crew members of the International Space Station
Category:University of Tokyo alumni
Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts
Category:Japanese aerospace engineers