Astronaut training at Tsukuba Space Center, Japan

ESA astronauts Frank De Winne and André Kuipers were recently at the Tsukuba Space Center in Japan where they followed training for the Japanese Kibo laboratory and the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).

De Winne is currently preparing for a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). In May 2009, De Winne is scheduled fly to the ISS on board a Soyuz spacecraft together with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko. Kuipers is assigned as back-up to De Winne.

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Hi-res JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center hosts Japan's astronaut training for the ISS Partners	Hi-res JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center hosts Japan's astronaut training for the ISS Partners	Hi-res Frank De Winne and Robert Thirsk during training at Tsukuba Space Center
Hi-res Frank De Winne and Robert Thirsk during training at Tsukuba Space Center	Hi-res The HTV avionics module and propulsion module	Hi-res Frank De Winne and André Kuipers during training with the Japanese robotic arm
Hi-res A view inside a training mock-up of Japan's Kibo laboratory	Hi-res Frank De Winne and André Kuipers during training with the Japanese robotic arm	Hi-res The Kibo Control Center

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Human Spaceflight

ESA’s next long-term ISS mission has a name: OasISS New ISS crews: First European to become ISS Commander and next European long-term flight ESA astronaut Frank De Winne to spend six months on the ISS in 2009