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.
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