Published: 8/21/1998

The Japanese space agency, which failed to send its cosmonaut to the Russian Mir space station, is to join the Russian experiment of a long-term space flight which is to be carried out by the Institute of medical and biological research (IMBP) in the middle of 1999. "The contract has not been signed yet, but we are very interested in joining the research", Tiharu Sekiguchi, the chief medical expert of the Japanese space agency, said. He said his agency wants to involve its experts in the experiment called "Skif" and also send a volunteer to the crew. "It would be better to send a cosmonaut to the Russian Mir station, but we have no time to do that as the complex will be closed in a year. Therefore, we will have to join the ground experiment", Sekiguchi said. Japan needs the experiment to train its cosmonauts for long-term flights on the future International Space Station (ISS). So far, a Japanese cosmonaut has stayed on a US shuttle for only two weeks, while ISS flights will last for at least three months. First deputy IMBP director Viktor Baranov said that the experiment will last for 240 days. Eighteen volunteers will stay in a closed space, the so-called "barrel" which resembles Mir, while scientists will watch them and provide recommendations for a true space flight. "I was surprised to learn that facilities for such experiments have been successfully operating in Russia since the end of the 60s", Sekiguchi said. He told his Russian colleagues that the "barrel" will have to be amended a little "to satisfy Japanese traditions". The Japanese space agency wants to receive data on human psychology in conditions of a long-term isolation and life within an international crew. It is interesting to know "how people of various nationalities would behave and co-operate", Sekiguchi said. "It would be ideal if the cosmonaut, who would fly to the ISS, takes part in the experiment. But that is hardly possible, because the person selected would be a volunteer whose profession, age and other characteristics correspond to that of an astronaut", he said. Sekiguchi believes that the recent prolongation of the Russian-Japanese space co-operation agreement will help experts of both countries "very much" and that bilateral contacts will definitely expand each year.(SP898.3) (VZ)  

Article ID: 266