Satoshi Furukawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Satoshi Furukawa
古川 聡 |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Official portrait, 2004
|
|
| Born | April 4, 1964 |
| Status | Active |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Space career | |
| NASDA/JAXA astronaut | |
|
Time in space
|
366 days, 8 hours and 34 minutes |
| Selection | 1999 NASDA Group |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-02M (Expedition 28/29), SpaceX Crew-7 (Expedition 69/70) |
|
Mission insignia
|
     |
Satoshi Furukawa (古川 聡, Furukawa Satoshi, born April 4, 1964) is a Japanese doctor and JAXA astronaut. He has flown to the International Space Station (ISS) twice. His missions were Expedition 28/29 in 2011 and Expedition 69/70 from 2023 to 2024.
Contents
Becoming an Astronaut
Early Life and Education
Satoshi Furukawa was born in Yokohama, Japan, on April 4, 1964. He finished high school in 1983. He then studied at the University of Tokyo, becoming a medical doctor in 1989. He also earned a PhD in medical science in 2000.
Medical Career Before Space
Before becoming an astronaut, Dr. Furukawa worked as a surgeon. From 1989 to 1999, he worked in different hospitals. He was part of the surgery department at the University of Tokyo. He also worked in anesthesiology and surgery at other hospitals.
Joining the Space Program
In February 1999, Japan's space agency, NASDA, chose Furukawa. He was one of three new astronaut candidates for the International Space Station. He began his basic astronaut training in April 1999. By January 2001, he was officially certified as an astronaut.
Since April 2001, he has continued advanced training for the ISS. He also helped develop the equipment for the Japanese Experiment Module called Kibō. This is Japan's part of the space station.
NASDA Becomes JAXA
On October 1, 2003, NASDA joined with two other Japanese space groups. They became one new agency called JAXA, which stands for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
In May 2004, Furukawa finished special training in Russia. This training taught him how to be a flight engineer on the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft.
Training with NASA
Furukawa moved to the Johnson Space Center in the United States in June 2004. In February 2006, he completed NASA's astronaut training. This training included learning about the Space Shuttle and ISS systems. He also had physical training, flight training in a T-38 jet, and survival training. After this, he was qualified for space missions.
Underwater and Cave Training
In August 2007, Furukawa took part in the NEEMO 13 project. This was an exploration mission held in Aquarius, an undersea research lab. He lived underwater to practice for space.
In 2013, Furukawa also trained in caves in Sardinia, Italy. This was part of the ESA CAVES program. He trained with other astronauts from different countries.
Space Missions
First Trip to Space (2011)
Furukawa's first space mission was to the International Space Station. He was a flight engineer for Expedition 28 and 29. The Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft launched on June 7, 2011. He flew with Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov and NASA astronaut Michael Fossum.
They spent several months living and working on the ISS. The same Soyuz spacecraft brought them back to Earth. They landed safely in Kazakhstan on November 22, 2011.
Second Trip to Space (2023-2024)
Dr. Furukawa completed his second long mission to the ISS recently. He was a mission specialist for Expedition 69 and 70. He launched on the Crew-7 mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The launch happened on August 26, 2023, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
He returned to Earth on March 12, 2024. This second mission added many more days to his time in space.
Personal Life
Satoshi Furukawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. He enjoys playing baseball and bowling. He also likes music and traveling. He is married and has two children.
See also
In Spanish: Satoshi Furukawa para niños
