Koichi Wakata

Infobox Astronaut
name =Koichi Wakata

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type =JAXA Astronaut
nationality =Japanese
date_birth =August 1, 1963
place_birth =Omiya, Saitama
occupation =Pilot
selection =1992 NASA Group
time =21d 19h 44m
mission =STS-72, STS-92
insignia =|

Koichi Wakata (若田 光一 "Wakata Kōichi", born 1 August 1963) is a Japanese astronaut from JAXA and a veteran of two NASA space shuttle missions.

Wakata, born in Omiya, Saitama, earned a masters degree in applied mathematics from Kyushu University in 1989. He worked as a structural engineer for Japan Airlines. Wakata was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1992 and trained at NASA's Johnson Space Center; he flew aboard STS-72 in 1996 and STS-92 in 2000 as a mission specialist. On the 1996 mission, he and fellow astronaut Dan Barry became the first people to play Go in space. Wakata and Barry used a special Go set, which was named Go Space, designed by Wai-Cheung Willson Chow.

Wakata is currently training for his third flight, a long duration mission to the International Space Station. He will launch in October 2008 as a Mission Specialist on the STS-119 mission.Cite web| url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/oct/HQ_07229_STS-119-Crew.html|title=NASA Assigns Crew for Final Solar Array Delivery to Station|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=October 19| publisher=NASA| year=2007| author=NASA] He will serve as Flight Engineer 2 on Expedition 18 before returning home as a Mission Specialist on STS-127.

References

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/wakata.html NASA Biography]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/wakata_koichi.htm Spacefacts biography of Koichi Wakata]