Japanese Missions to the International Space Station

Japan has a rich history of human spaceflight, flying in space with bothNASA and the Soviet/Russian space agencies over the years. This booktells the story of the JAXA astronauts who have visited the InternationalSpace Station and how they have lived on board, helped construct thespace laboratory and performed valuable scientific experiments. JAXA has contributed the largest single module to the ISS: the Kib?(Hope) science laboratory with its Logistics Module, Exposed Facilityand robot arm. JAXA supplies the station with cargo and supplies on itsautomated cargo spacecraft, the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), but it is thehuman endeavour that captures the imagination. From brief visits tosix-month expeditions, from spacewalking to commanding the Earth'sonly outpost in space, JAXA astronauts have played a vital role in theinternational project. Extensive use of colour photographs from NASA and JAXA depictingthe experiments carried out and the phases of the ISS construction,together with the personal stories of the astronauts' experiences inspace, highlight the crucial part the Japanese have played in humanspaceflight.