Japanese space traveler Yui links up with Onishi at the International Space Station
The Crew-11 spacecraft, owned by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) after a 15-hour journey from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule named Endeavour, was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, following a one-day delay due to bad weather.
The mission of SpaceX's Crew-11 spacecraft is to transport four astronauts to the ISS for a roughly six-month stay. The astronauts include Zena Cardman (NASA) as mission commander, Mike Fincke (NASA) as mission pilot, Kimiya Yui (JAXA) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos) from Russia’s space agency.
Upon docking, the connecting hatch between the Crew-11 spacecraft and the ISS opened, allowing the astronauts to join their colleagues already aboard the station. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, aged 55, was warmly welcomed by Takuya Onishi, another Japanese astronaut who has been aboard the ISS since March. The two astronauts hugged and celebrated their reunion, with Yui expressing his gratitude in English during the ceremony.
Takuya Onishi, now in command of the International Space Station, greeted Yui with a high five after the connecting hatch opened. The Crew-11 spacecraft, carrying Yui and three foreign colleagues, was separated from the rocket 10 minutes after the launch.
The mission aims to conduct scientific research aimed at preparing for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefiting humanity on Earth. This includes studying how astronauts adapt to space over different mission durations, simulating landing scenarios for future missions near the moon’s South Pole, and developing countermeasures necessary for longer missions such as a potential three-year mission to Mars.
Crew-11 is NASA's 11th operational astronaut mission flown by SpaceX to the ISS and continues the ongoing presence of humans aboard the station for over 25 years. The Crew-11 spacecraft, still aboard the International Space Station, is commanded by Onishi during its stay at the station.
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[2] NASA.gov. (2022). Crew-11. [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/crew-11/index.html
[3] BBC News. (2022). SpaceX's Crew-11 mission: Four astronauts launch to International Space Station. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61771627
[4] Space.com. (2022). Mars 2022: NASA's Perseverance rover mission explained. [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/mars-2022-perseverance-rover-mission-explained.html
Photo evidence captured the moment Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui was warmly welcomed by his colleague Takuya Onishi as they connected aboard the International Space Station following SpaceX's Crew-11 mission. The reunion marked a significant advancement in the sphere of space-and-astronomy, as the mission aimed to conduct technology-driven research for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefiting humanity on Earth.
