Educated as aerospace engineer, University of Tokyo. Total EVA Time: 0.53 days. Number of EVAs: 2.
He joined the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan in 1985 and has been working in the Japanese manned space program since then. He conducted research on microgravity fluid dynamics at the University of Colorado from 1987 to 1988, and at National Aerospace Laboratory in Japan in 1989 as a visiting scientist. In 1992, he served as a backup payload specialist for the Spacelab Japan mission (STS-47). In 1994, he worked as a project scientist on the International Microgravity Laboratory 2 mission (STS-65).
Birth Place: Minamitama, Tokyo.
Status: Inactive.
Born: 1954.09.18.
Spaceflights: 2 .
Total time in space: 31.45 days.
Spartan was recaptured by hand, during a spacewalk by Takao Doi and Winston Scott on November 25. Tests of space station tools went well, but the free-flying Sprint camera subsatellite was not deployed due to lack of time.
NASA decided not to redeploy Spartan on this mission. During an EVA on Dec 3, Doi and Scott carried out more tests of the Space Station crane. They also deployed the AERCam/Sprint 'football' remote-controlled camera for a free flight in the payload bay.
Columbia landed on December 5, with a deorbit burn at 11:21 GMT. Touchdown was at 12:20 GMT at Kennedy Space Center.
The sampling kit was then stowed away. Leo's next NUTRITION/Repository activity will be his Flight Day 30 (FD30) session. (The current NUTRITION project is the most comprehensive in-flight study done by NASA to date of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight. It includes measures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal changes, expanding the previous Clinical Nutritional Assessment profile (MR016L) testing in three ways: Addition of in-flight blood & urine collection (made possible by MELFI), normative markers of nutritional assessment, and a return session plus 30-day (R+30) session to allow evaluation of post-flight nutrition and implications for rehabilitation.) Additional Details: here....
Progress thrusters (DPO) were inhibited and not involved. (Crew activities focused on TORU activation, inputting commands via the RUO Rotational Hand Controller and close-out ops. TORU lets an SM-based crewmember perform the approach and docking of automated Progress vehicles in case of failure of the automated KURS system. Receiving a video image of the approaching ISS, as seen from a Progress-mounted docking television camera ('Klest'), on a color monitor ('Simvol-Ts', i.e. 'symbol center') which also displays an overlay of rendezvous data from the onboard digital computer, the crewmember steers the Progress to mechanical contact by means of two hand controllers, one for rotation (RUO), the other for translation (RUD), on adjustable armrests. The controller-generated commands are transmitted from the SM's TORU control panel to the Progress via VHF radio. In addition to the Simvol-Ts color monitor, range, range rate (approach velocity) and relative angular position data are displayed on the 'Klest-M' video monitor (VKU) which starts picking up signals from Progress when it is still approximately 7 km away. TORU is monitored in real time from TsUP over Russian ground sites (RGS) and via Ku-band from Houston, but its control cannot be taken over from the ground.) Additional Details: here....
STS-123/Endeavour docked smoothly last night at 11:49pm EDT at the PMA-2 (Pressurized Mating Adapter-2) port, 24 minutes behind schedule (due to loss of target lock by the CW {Continuous Wave} laser of the Shuttle's TCS {Trajectory Control Sensor} during the manual rendezvous phase, requiring manual lock re-acquisition). The RPM (R-Bar Pitch Maneuver) started at 10:26pm and was successfully completed at 10:34pm, with Whitson and Malenchenko taking 200-300 close-up photographs of Endeavour's bottom heatshield. The station now hosts ten occupants again as Mission 1J/A is underway. (At the point of docking, Peggy Whitson rang the traditional ship's bell and announced 'Endeavour landed!' The combined crew is comprised of ISS CDR Whitson, FE-1 Yuri Malenchenko, FE-2 LĂ(c)opold Eyharts, STS CDR Dominic Gorie, PLT Gregory Johnson, MS1 Robert Behnken, MS2 Mike Foreman, MS3 Takao Doi (Japan), MS4 Rick Linnehan, and MS5/FE-2-16 Garrett Reisman who replaces Eyharts as FE-2, as the latter returns on the Endeavour as MS-5.) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today:sleep 8:00am-4:30pm; wake 4:30pm-7:00am tomorrow.
Mission 1J./A's EVA-1 was completed successfully by Rick Linnehan & Garrett Reisman in 7h 1m, accomplishing all its objectives (no get-aheads).
(During the spacewalk, Linnehan (EV1) & Reisman (EV2) -
Prepared the JAXA JLP (JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section) for its transfer, i.e. -
opened and secured the protective flap over the Node-2 topside (zenith) hatch viewport for the internal CBCS (Centerline Berthing Camera System),
removed 8 PCBM (Passive Common Berthing Mechanism) contamination protection covers,
demated & stowed JLP LTA (Launch-to-Activation) connectors & installed protective caps on the LTA receptacles;
Performed Part 1 Assembly of the SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator), i.e. -
released two OTCMs (ORU Tool Changeout Mechanisms) from the launch locations on the SLP (Spacelab Pallet),
installed the OTCMs on the SPDM,
released the OTP EDFs (ORU Temporary Platform Expandable Diameter Fasteners),
inspected the SLP PDGF (Power & Data Grapple Fixture) horseshoe connectors;
Took photographs of the SPDM, and
Installed a protective wire tie over the sharp edge divot discovered during Flight 1A on the Airlock (A/L) handrail.
Official start time of the spacewalk was 9:18pm EDT, about 5 min ahead of timeline, and it ended at 4:19am. Total EVA duration (PET = Phase Elapsed Time) was 7h 1min. It was the 105th spacewalk for ISS assembly & maintenance and the 77th from the station (55 from Quest, 22 from Pirs, 28 from Shuttle) totaling 472h 22min, and the 9th for Expedition 16 (totaling 64h 30min) and the 6th so far this year. After today's EVA, a total of 131 spacewalkers (99 NASA astronauts, 21 Russians, and 11 astronauts representing Japan-1, Canada-4, France-1, Germany-2 and Sweden-3) have logged a total of 660h 44min outside the station on building, outfitting and servicing. It was also the 127th spacewalk involving U.S. astronauts.) Additional Details: here....
Ahead: Week 22 of Increment 16. Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 7:00am -3:30pm; wake 3:30pm -6:00am tomorrow.
More good news!
SPDM Dextre was checked out and is working nominally with both arms. (The waist-up-only robot from Canada arrived in space in nine separate pieces that are being assembled in the current spacewalks. Each of the two arms has seven joints; in addition, SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) Dextre can pivot at the 'waist'. Its grippers (hands) have built-in socket wrenches, cameras & lights. Only one arm is movable at a time, to keep the robot stable and avoid a two-arm collision. Dextre can be attached to MT (Mobile Transporter) to translate along the stations rail tracks, or alternately to the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) to swing to places where the railcart can't go. What a supercool helper!) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 6:00am -2:30pm; wake 2:30pm -6:00am tomorrow.
After wake-up yesterday at ~3:30pm, CDR Peggy Whitson completed another session with the SLEEP experiment (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment's laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop for downlink, as suggested on her discretionary 'job jar' task list. (To monitor the crewmember's sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Peggy wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him as well as his patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days, as part of the crew's discretionary 'job jar' task list.) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 6:00am -2:30pm; wake 2:30pm -6:00am tomorrow.
EVA-3 was completed successfully by Rick Linnehan and Bob Behnken in 6h 53m, accomplishing most of its objectives.
(During the spacewalk, Linnehan (EV1) & Behnken (EV2) -
Installed the OTP (ORU {On-Orbit Replaceable Unit} Temporary Platform) and THA (Tool Holder Assembly) on the SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator),
Removed MLI (Multi-Layered Insulation) thermal blankets,
Installed the CLPA (Camera, Light & Pan/Tilt Assembly) on the SPDM,
Cleaned up & configured the SLP (Spacelab Pallet) for return (to be transferred with the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) from the POA (Payload ORU Attachment) to the Orbiter PLB (Payload Bay) tomorrow evening (FD9)),
Transferred the spare SSRMS yaw joint from the PLB to stowage on the ESP-2 (External Stowage Platform 2),
Transferred two spare DCSUs (Direct Current Switching Units) from the PLB to stowage on the ESP-2,
Transferred the LWAPA (Light Weight Adapter Plate Assembly) for installation on the Columbus EPF (External Payload Facility) and prepared for the installation of two MISSE-6 (Materials International Space Station Experiment) payloads,
Removed the MCAS EBCS (Mobil Common Attachment System External Berthing Camera System) cover flap as a get-ahead, and
Stowed the JLP (JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section) trunnion covers on a handrail for future installation.
Tasks not completed: Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 5:00am -1:30pm; wake 1:30pm -5:00am tomorrow.
Three more major mission steps were accomplished:
SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) 'Dextre', with repositioned arms, was successfully stowed on the U.S. Lab PDGF (Power & Data Grapple Fixture) (and is looking very cool);
SLP (Spacelab Pallet) was returned to the Shuttle PLB (Payload Bay) for re-berthing; and
SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) was 'walked off' the Node-2 PDGF onto MT/MBS (Mobile Transporter/Mobile Base System) PDGF-3 and maneuvered into position for today's MT translation from Worksite 6 (WS6) to WS4.
(During commanding of the SPDM's body ('waist') roll joint to stowage mode, it rotated in the opposite direction than expected, due to a sign mistake (polarity inversion, i.e., a plus-sign instead of a minus-sign) in the DMCS (Dexterous Manipulator Control Software) configuration file. Flight Controllers worked around this in real time, and the crew was able to maneuver the SPDM LEE (Latching End Effector) onto the LAB PDGF without further ado. Work is underway at CSA/MDA to write a corrective software patch.) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep/wake cycle today: Sleep 5:00am -1:30pm; wake 1:30pm -4:00am tomorrow.
EVA-4 was completed successfully by Bob Behnken & Mike Foreman in 6h 24m, accomplishing most of its objectives.
During the spacewalk, Behnken (EV1) & Foreman (EV2) -
Demonstrated an on-orbit heat shield repair technique using the T-RAD (Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser) to demonstrate an Orbiter tile repair DTO (Development Test Objective) in space. (The spacewalkers tested STA-54, a pink putty-like material consisting of two compounds that are mixed together in a pressure-driven applicator gun just before they exit the nozzle. With Foreman working the applicator, the test was completed nominally, and the test samples were stowed in the TSA (Tool Stowage Assembly in the Orbiter PLB (Payload Bay) for return and analysis; results looked good);
Removed RPCM (Remote Power Controller Module) S02B-D on the S0 truss and replaced it with a new unit. (Since the RPCM controls CMG-2 (Control Moment Gyroscope #2), circuitry had to be powered down and the CMG-2 removed from the steering law beforehand. After the successful R&R, the spacewalkers attempted several times to reconfigure the Z1 patch panel, a pre-requisite for powering the new RPCM, but were unable to do so due to tough-to-reach connectors which could not be unmated. The patch panel reconfiguration currently remains incomplete, but there are no impacts to current operations);
Inspected the Z1 truss toolbox for MMOD (Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris) damage and noticed several 'pits'. (Video imagery will be assessed by specialists);
Released Node-2 Port ACBM (Active Common Berthing Mechanism) launch locks in preparation for berthing the JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) module 'Kibo' on Flight 1J next May;
Removed the remaining SPDM OTCM-2 (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator/ORU Tool Changeout Mechanism #2) thermal covers, reconfigured some of the wrist blankets and flaps, and inspected the Shoulder Roll joint of SPDM Arm #2 for possible MLI (Multi-Layered Insulation) interference. None was seen. (WVS (Wireless Video System) helmet cam video was also obtained for ground analysis.)
Additionally, two get-ahead tasks were completed: Additional Details: here....