A Japanese woman who was officially certified as an astronaut last year has given an online lecture about her training to Japanese people living in the United States.
Yoneda Ayu is undergoing training at the Johnson Space Center in Texas to acquire the knowledge and skills for spaceflight.
In Sunday’s online lecture, she talked about wearing a spacesuit in a large pool to simulate near-zero gravity.
She also said she is studying geology and astronomy with other astronauts.
Yoneda, who is a medical doctor, is interested in researching space medicine. She said various changes are known to occur in the human body in space, such as accelerated aging. She said eyesight is also affected.
Yoneda told NHK after the lecture that watching astronauts who are training diligently makes her feel that she is really going into space.
She said the International Space Station is scheduled to operate until 2030, so she wants to go there before then.
Yoneda also mentioned the US-led international lunar exploration project, the Artemis program. She said that being near crew who are waiting for their next flight boosts the motivation of Japanese astronauts to go to the moon.
She said, as a medical doctor and as an astronaut traveling to distant space, she wants to maintain a questioning mindset.