Chiaki Mukai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chiaki Mukai
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| Born | May 6, 1952 Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
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| Status | Retired |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Space career | |
| NASDA/JAXA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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23d 15h 39m |
| Selection | 1985 NASDA Group |
| Missions | STS-65, STS-95 |
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Mission insignia
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Chiaki Mukai (向井 千秋, Mukai Chiaki, born May 6, 1952) is a Japanese doctor and JAXA astronaut. She made history as the first Japanese woman to travel to space. She was also the first Japanese person to fly into space twice. Plus, she was the first Asian woman to go to space.
Her space trips were on the Space Shuttle. Her first flight was on STS-65 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in July 1994. This mission was about doing science experiments in space. Her second spaceflight was STS-95 on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. In total, she has spent about 23 days living and working in space.
Mukai was chosen to be an astronaut by Japan's space agency, NASDA, in 1985. NASDA is now known as JAXA. Before becoming an astronaut, she was a professor at Keio University, which is a very old university in Japan. In 2015, she became a Vice President at the Tokyo University of Science. She also became a special advisor for JAXA.
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Early Life and Education
Chiaki Mukai was born in Tatebayashi, a city in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. She finished high school in Tokyo in 1971. She then went to Keio University School of Medicine.
She earned her first medical degree in 1977. Later, in 1988, she received another degree in physiology, which is the study of how living things work. She also became a certified surgeon for the heart and blood vessels in 1989.
Mukai is part of several important medical and space groups. These include the American Aerospace Medical Association and the Japan Society of Microgravity Applications.
Medical Career
Before she became an astronaut, Dr. Mukai worked as a doctor in different hospitals. She started as a resident in general surgery at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo.
She also worked in emergency surgery and later specialized in cardiovascular surgery. This means she was a surgeon who worked on hearts and blood vessels. She became an assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Keio University.
Dr. Mukai has written many scientific papers. She has about sixty publications about her medical research since 1979.
Astronaut Career
In 1985, Chiaki Mukai was chosen as one of three Japanese Payload Specialist candidates. A payload specialist is an astronaut who focuses on specific experiments or equipment during a space mission. She was chosen for a mission called the First Material Processing Test (Spacelab-J). This mission flew on STS-47. She also trained as a backup for another mission, STS-90.
Dr. Mukai has spent more than 566 hours in space. She flew on two Space Shuttle missions: STS-65 in 1994 and STS-95 in 1998. She is famous for being the first Japanese woman to fly in space. She is also the first Japanese person to go to space twice.
As a NASDA astronaut, she worked at the NASA Johnson Space Center in the United States. She studied how space affects the heart and blood vessels. She has also been a research instructor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, since 1992.
On October 1, 2003, Japan's space agencies merged. NASDA joined with ISAS and NAL to form the new Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Mukai was also a deputy mission scientist for STS-107. This meant she helped organize the science experiments for that mission. In 2009, she taught at the International Space University.
STS-65 Mission
STS-65 was a mission on the Space Shuttle Columbia from July 8 to 23, 1994. This flight was called the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2). It carried out 82 different science experiments. These experiments looked at how space affects living things, like human bodies, plants, and animals. They also studied how materials behave in microgravity (very low gravity).
The mission also focused on medical experiments. These included studies on the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels), the nervous system, and how bones and muscles change in space. The mission orbited the Earth 236 times. It traveled over 6.1 million miles in about 14 days and 18 hours.
STS-95 Mission
STS-95 was a nine-day mission on the Space Shuttle Discovery. It flew from October 29 to November 7, 1998. During this mission, the crew worked on many research projects. They launched a satellite to study the sun. They also tested equipment for the Hubble Space Telescope.
A big part of the mission was studying how space flight affects the aging process. The crew completed 134 orbits around Earth. They traveled 3.6 million miles in about 8 days and 22 hours.
After Space Missions
After her space missions, Dr. Mukai continued to work in space science. She was a visiting professor at the International Space University (ISU) from 2004 to 2007.
From 2007 to 2012, she worked for JAXA. She was the director of the Space Biomedical Research Office. This office studies how space affects human health.
From 2011 to 2015, Dr. Mukai was a senior advisor to the head of JAXA. In 2012, she also became the director of JAXA's Center for Applied Space Medicine and Human Research.
In March 2015, Dr. Mukai became a vice president at the Tokyo University of Science. She also continues to be a technical advisor for JAXA. She has also joined the boards of some large companies, like Fujitsu Limited and Kao Corporation.
Awards and Honors
Chiaki Mukai has received many awards for her important work. Some of these include:
- Legion of Honour: Chevalier – from the French government (2015)
- Joe Kerwin Award – from the Aerospace Medical Association (2013)
- Special Congressional Recognition – from the U.S. Congress (1995)
- The De La Vaux Medal – from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (1995)
- Prime Minister's Special Citation (1994)
- Honorary Citizen of Tatebayashi City (1994)
- Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (1999)
Personal Life
Chiaki Mukai is married to Makio Mukai, who is also a doctor. She enjoys many hobbies in her free time. These include snow skiing, competitive Alpine skiing, fishing, scuba diving, tennis, golf, and photography. She also likes reading American literature and traveling.
See also
In Spanish: Chiaki Mukai para niños
