page_title: Akihiko Hoshide
section_title: Astronaut career
hierarchical_section_title: Akihiko Hoshide / Astronaut career
caption_attribution_description: English: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses a digital still camera to expose a photo of his helmet visor during the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA). During the six-hour, 28-minute spacewalk, Hoshide and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams (visible in the reflections of Hoshide's helmet visor), flight engineer, completed the installation of a Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) that was hampered last week by a possible misalignment and damaged threads where a bolt must be placed. They also installed a camera on the International Space Station's robotic arm, Canadarm2. The bright sun is visible at left.
context_page_description: Akihiko Hoshide is a Japanese engineer and JAXA astronaut. On August 30, 2012, Hoshide became the third Japanese astronaut to walk in space.
context_section_description: In February 1999 Hoshide was selected by NASDA (now JAXA) as one of three Japanese astronaut candidates for the International Space Station (ISS). He started the ISS Astronaut Basic Training program in April 1999 and was certified as an astronaut in January 2001. Since April 2001, he has participated in ISS Advanced Training, as well as supporting the development of the hardware and operation of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibō and the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).
  From 21 July 2014 to 29 July 2014 Hoshide commanded NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations Mission 18 (NEEMO 18) to the Aquarius Reef Base of the coast of Key Largo, Florida. He was joined by NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps and Mark Vande Hei as well as ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet during the nine-day mission.
  In 2016 he served as part of the 2016 European Space Agency's Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills (CAVES) expedition. Where he spent two weeks underground in caves alongside NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Jessica Meir, CNSA taikonaut Ye Guangfu, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Korsakov and ESA astronaut Pedro Duque in order to simulate spaceflight conditions.
caption: Hoshide taking a space selfie during extravehicular activity (EVA) on September 5, 2012, with the Sun behind him.
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