Chiaki Mukai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1952-05-06)May 6, 1952 (age 72) |
| Status | Retired |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Space career | |
| NASDA/JAXA astronaut | |
Time in space | 23d 15h 39m |
| Selection | 1985 NASDA Group |
| Missions | STS-65,STS-95 |
Mission insignia |   |
Chiaki Mukai (向井 千秋,Mukai Chiaki, born May 6, 1952) is a Japanese physician andJAXA astronaut.[2] She was the first Japanese woman in space, the first Japanese citizen to have twospaceflights, and the first Asian woman in space.[1] Both wereSpace Shuttle missions; her first wasSTS-65 aboard Space ShuttleColumbia in July 1994, which was aSpacelab mission. Her second spaceflight wasSTS-95 aboard Space ShuttleDiscovery in 1998. In total she has spent 23 days in space.
Mukai was selected to be an astronaut by Japanese national space agencyNASDA (now called JAXA) in 1985. Prior to this, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery atKeio University, the oldest university in Japan. In 2015, she became Vice President of theTokyo University of Science.[3] In addition, she became JAXA Technical Counselor.[2]
Chiaki Mukai was born inTatebayashi,Gunma Prefecture. She graduated from Keio Girls Senior High School inTokyo in 1971. She received her doctorate inmedicine,Keio University School of Medicine, 1977; a doctorate inphysiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 1988; board certified as acardiovascularsurgeon, Japan Surgical Society, 1989.[1]
Mukai is a member of the American Aerospace Medical Association; the Japan Society of Microgravity Applications; the Japan Society of Aerospace and Environmental Medicine; the Japanese Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; and the Japan Surgical Society.[1]
Mukai has held positions at several hospitals and institutions.[1]
Mukai has been credited with approximately sixty peer-reviewed scientific publications since 1979.
In 1985, Mukai was selected as one of three JapanesePayload Specialist candidates for the First Material Processing Test (Spacelab-J) which flew aboardSTS-47. She also served as a back-up payload specialist for the Neurolab (STS-90) mission. Mukai has logged over 566 hours in space. She flew aboardSTS-65 in 1994 andSTS-95 in 1998. She is the first Japanese woman to fly in space, and the first Japanese citizen to fly twice.[1]
As a NASDA astronaut, she was a visiting scientist at the Division of Cardiovascular Physiology, Space Biomedical Research Institute,NASA Johnson Space Center, from 1987 to 1988. Mukai has remained a Research Instructor of the Department of Surgery,Baylor College of Medicine,Houston, Texas, since 1992. From 1992 to 1998 she was a visiting associate professor of the Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, and in 1999 was promoted to a visiting professor of the university.[1]
On October 1, 2003, NASDA merged with ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) and NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan) and was renamedJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Mukai was assigned the deputy mission scientist forSTS-107. In that capacity she coordinated science operations for this science mission.[1][4][5] In 2009 Mukai was a visiting lecturer at theInternational Space University.[6]
STS-65Columbia (July 8–23, 1994) was the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) flight. The mission consisted of 82 investigations of Space Life Science (Human Physiology, Space Biology, Radiation Biology, and Bioprocessing) and Microgravity Science (Material Science, Fluid Science and Research on the Microgravity Environment and Countermeasures). IML-2 was also designated as an extended duration orbit mission focusing on medical experiments related to the cardiovascular system,autonomic nerve system, andbone andmusclemetabolism. The mission was accomplished in 236 orbits of theEarth, traveling over 6.1 million miles in 353 hours and 55 minutes.[1]
STS-95Discovery (October 29 to November 7, 1998) was a nine-day mission during which the crew supported a variety of research payloads including deployment of the Spartan solar-observing spacecraft, theHubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, and investigations on space flight and theaging process. The mission was accomplished in 134 Earth orbits, traveling 3.6 million miles in 213 hours and 44 minutes.[1]
Mukai was a visiting professor at theInternational Space University (ISU) from September 2004 to September 2007. Between 2007 and 2012, she worked forJAXA, serving as director of the Space Biomedical Research Office, Human Space Technology and Astronaut Department, Human Space System and Utilization Mission Directorate.
From April 2011 until 2015, Mukai was a senior Advisor to the JAXA Executive Director. In addition, she became the director of the JAXA Center for Applied Space Medicine and Human Research (J-CASMHR) in July 2012.[4]
In March 2015, Mukai became vice president of theTokyo University of Science,[3] and is a technical counselor for JAXA. Since June 2015, she has been Director of Fujitsu Limited and is a corporate executive fellow ofKao Corporation since January 2016.[2]
Mukai has received the following awards:[1]
She is married to Makio Mukai, M.D., Ph.D. Her recreational interests include snow skiing,Alpine competitive skiing,bass fishing, scuba diving, tennis, golf, photography,American literature, and traveling.[1]
In 2007,Fuji Television released a special episode of its programA Woman's Biography. The episode is based on the biography of Mukai Chiaki and starsMiho Kanno.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
