Japanese Lab To Be Installed At Space Station

NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission scheduled for launch in February 2008. The flight will deliver the Pressurized Module and robotic arm of the Japanese Experiment Module to the International Space Station.

The space shuttle Atlantis mission commander is Navy Cmdr. Mark E. Kelly. Navy Cmdr. Kenneth T. Ham will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists will include NASA astronauts Karen L. Nyberg, Air Force Col. Ronald J. Garan, Jr., Air Force Reserve Col. Michael E. Fossum, and Navy Cmdr. Stephen G. Bowen. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide also will serve as a mission specialist, according to NASA.

The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the installation of the Japanese Experiment Module laboratory, known as Kibo -- Japanese for 'hope'. This mission will include two spacewalks to install the new lab and its remote manipulator system. The lab's logistics module, which will have been installed in a temporary location during STS-123, will be attached to the new lab.

Kelly, of West Orange, NJ flew as the pilot of STS-108 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006. This will be his third spaceflight. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996. He has a bachelor's degree from the US Merchant Marine Academy, and a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Fossum performed three spacewalks during STS-121 in 2006 and is from McAllen, TX. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998 and this will be his second spaceflight. He has a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, College Station, and master's degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH and the University of Houston, Clear Lake.

Ham was born in Plainfield, NJ and was selected as an astronaut in 1998. He has a bachelor's degree from the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., and a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Garan is from Yonkers, N.Y. and was selected as an astronaut in 2000. He has a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York College at Oneonta and master's degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Nyberg also was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and is from Vining, Minn. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

Bowen, from Cohasset, MA also was selected as an astronaut in 2000. He has a bachelor's from the US Naval Academy and a master's from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

Hoshide was born in Tokyo. He was selected by JAXA as one of three astronaut candidates in 1999 and certified by JAXA as an astronaut in 2001. He arrived at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, for training in 2004 and completed NASA Astronaut Candidate Training in 2006.

FMI: www.nasa.gov