Yurika Nakano: Supporting Astronauts from the Ground

Currently, 15 countries are participating in the International Space Station (ISS) project. In addition to the two countries of NASA and Russia, the lineup includes ESA (European Space Agency), Canada, and Japan. Among them, the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" is the largest space laboratory on the ISS.

The ISS orbits at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, and "Kibo" is roughly composed of five parts: the Pressurized Module where various experiments are conducted, the Experiment Logistics Module for storing items, the Airlock for taking out experimental equipment and releasing ultra-small satellites, and the Exposed Facility and Remote Manipulator System (robotic arm) that enable experiments in the exposed section. We, the JAXA flight controllers, monitor all of these 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and also manage experimental operations.

Yes, the modules owned by each country are controlled by their respective control centers. Our control team works at the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center on an eight-hour shift rotation.

The Flight Director is the leader who oversees all members on a shift in the flight control team. For example, when a malfunction occurs, they handle the response to protect human lives and equipment, and they also have the final decision-making authority on whether to continue or stop an experiment if it is not progressing according to schedule.

There are 13 of us, and each person goes on shift about 10 times a month.

The 24-hour day is divided into three 8-hour shifts, handled by a team of at most 15 people, consisting of one Flight Director and one person from each specialized team.

That's right. And every eight hours, everyone switches out.

Actually, they aren't. For air traffic controllers, the teams are fixed, which has its own advantages. For us flight controllers, the shift scheduling varies for each team, so the combination of members is constantly changing.

So, I might be on the same team as someone today, but work with completely different people tomorrow. That's why building a team can be difficult, and it's necessary to know the characteristics of each member.

Exactly. We work on Japan time, where 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM is the day shift, 4:00 PM to midnight is the evening shift, and midnight to 8:00 AM is the night shift. Since astronauts live on Greenwich Mean Time, they are sleeping during our day shift in Japan. However, while the astronauts are sleeping, we have the final coordination work for planning.

For example, suppose a new device is to be installed for a Japanese experiment. But at the same time, if a overlapping plan arises where another country wants to install their own experimental device, interference between the devices is expected. Since there are such planning adjustments for 15 countries, it's quite a task.

As for the procedures, for instance, when arranging items, we attach all the information the astronaut needs for the task—such as "this tool is in the nth drawer of that shelf in section X" for every single item—to the timeline (the day's work schedule). The day shift is occupied with these final checks.

Usually, three to six astronauts stay on the ISS, and everyone lives their lives in five-minute increments. Everything is strictly determined, from waking up at 6:00 AM to breakfast, morning meetings, exercise, and work within 6.5 hours a day. I usually wake up around 7:00 AM and live with a time span of roughly wondering if I'll make the train if I leave the house at a certain time, so it's completely different. As a Type O person, I use nerves I don't normally use to look out for the astronauts (laughs).

To become a flight controller, not just a Flight Director, you first need to be recommended as a candidate. Recommendations are made considering communication skills and background in previous duties. It starts from that entry point.

Along with your own will to do it, you must have a recommendation from your boss saying, "You'll be fine." Once you enter, a massive list of textbooks is sent to you, and after reading through them, you then take two weeks of intensive lectures without any gaps.

After that, there is the hardest part: simulation training. This is training using a simulator and a training room that mimics the exact same space as the actual control room.

At first, it's responding to simple malfunctions, but as the sessions progress, the malfunctions become increasingly complex. A malfunction that happened three hours ago might actually be affecting this area too, or because malfunctions affect each other, you have to prioritize the response. Spacecraft have redundant configurations so they can recover quickly when a malfunction occurs, but this redundancy is so complex it's called a "spaghetti diagram." For example, if a malfunction in backup electrical equipment and a fire occur at the same time, which do you prioritize? It's a disaster if you get the order wrong. Protecting the safety of the astronauts is the first priority, so it's about whether you can make those judgments.

Then there are communication skills. They check your way of speaking—whether you keep talking without noticing a malfunction is occurring, or if your explanations aren't concise, making the response prone to delays. When every second counts during a malfunction response, losing time due to communication is a huge waste.

After that, there is a written exam, and you take an eight-hour final simulation exam. Why eight hours? Because one shift is eight hours. Even there, they throw malfunctions at you from start to finish. Just remembering it gives me the shivers (laughs). After passing that, you move on to the oral examination and interview.

It's about a year and a half to two years. During that time, it's nothing but studying and simulations. If you have other internal duties, you have to handle them in parallel.

I always had the desire to become an astronaut, but I also knew it wasn't something you could become so easily. When I thought about what exactly I was interested in regarding space, I realized it was manned space technology. I learned about the job of a flight controller when I was in high school.

When I was a university student, "Kibo" had already been launched, so I wanted to experience flight control there and identify challenges for future manned space exploration. With that thought in mind, I requested to be a Flight Director when I joined the company.

Yes. But I had only seen the cool parts, so after joining, I was surprised by this steady, painstaking work. It's a series of unglamorous adjustments every day, but I don't consider it a hardship.

Studying in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology was truly fun every day, like a dream. I was bad at Japanese and social studies, but I liked physics-related subjects. Being able to study that every day, and having a massive amount of books in that field at the library, and being able to ask the professors anything—you can't get an environment like that once you become a working adult. Of course, I did clubs and part-time jobs, but studying was important.

Yes, I had always wanted to join the Matsuo Lab, so in my sophomore year, I went to see you by myself.

I think the Department of Mechanical Engineering is a place where you can properly learn all the basics. I studied fluid dynamics in the Matsuo Lab, and with that background, the first position I entered wasn't Flight Director, but a team called FLAT that handles thermal and environmental control for "Kibo." Fluid dynamics was really useful there.

Specifically, it's necessary every day to negotiate in English and push through the team's consensus. Since we go on shift carrying the weight of JAXA's experiments, we have to negotiate with Flight Directors from NASA and ESA.

For example, we have to take the lead in making adjustments, such as saying we absolutely want to conduct this experiment today so please prioritize it. To concisely convey the information the other Flight Director wants and proceed smoothly with adjustments, English proficiency is definitely necessary.

For example, today I have the afternoon off and will go on shift starting late at night. Night shifts are from midnight to 9:00 AM, including handover time, and that continues for three or four days, so at those times, my life is day-night reversed. Conversely, I can use the mornings effectively. I can even go to the city hall or bank counters (laughs).

Some people find they can't sleep at all, but I'm the type who can sleep quite well. For example, if a night shift ends at 9:00 AM and the next one starts at midnight, I'll try my best to stay awake until about 2:00 PM, and then sleep all at once until about 10:00 PM. Since the start times for all three shifts are different, the time slots I can use effectively change depending on the day. Being able to have free time in various time slots might be a plus.

It doesn't matter at all. The year before last, I spent the New Year in this control room. The astronauts say "Happy New Year" according to the timing of each country's New Year. Hearing that, I thought, "Oh, the year has changed." We all ate New Year's buckwheat noodles together, too (laughs).

There are times when I think the shifts are tough, but when the team is cooperating for the full eight hours to advance an experiment, I suddenly realize, "Oh, I'm looking at real-time data from the space station right now, operating experimental equipment by sending commands from the ground, and this video is the real thing right now." At those moments, my fatigue just blows away.

Not really. There were few women when I entered the Faculty of Science and Technology (laughs), so I was used to it.

Three is quite a lot. At NASA, about 30% of Flight Directors are women. And the women are stronger. Even in control, they'll say things like "That's absolutely not allowed!" or "I won't permit that!" (laughs).

Currently, two out of 13 are women, and one is in training. For the "Kounotori" Flight Directors, one out of five is a woman. Among flight controllers as a whole, they make up about 30%. The number is gradually increasing.

That's right. I think 30% is a lot considering the small population size.

I'd like to try if there's a chance. It's been my dream since the second grade. Currently, because the ISS is flying close to Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometers, we can give instructions to astronauts with almost no time lag and provide strong backup from the ground. But what if this distance becomes as far as Mars? From now on, I think an era will come where astronauts are literally cast out into space without the kind of ground support we have now. If someone who knows about the current ISS flight control and coordination becomes an astronaut, I think they could be useful when considering training methods and future operational systems.

Currently, I am a Flight Director for "Kibo," but I also participated in the operations of the 5th and 6th H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV) "Kounotori" as a controller in charge of the HTV system. It has been decided that I will start training as an HTV Flight Director for the upcoming 7th vehicle starting this fiscal year, so I want to challenge myself with studying a new field.

Yes, the required knowledge is completely different. "Kibo" is already docked to the ISS, and it is required to achieve experimental results as a manned space laboratory, but the HTV mission is about how to fly safely, dock with the ISS, and transport supplies. I also have to study fields like orbital mechanics and navigation and guidance systems.

I want to participate in a team that builds missions following the space station. There are many technologies cultivated through the operation of "Kibo" and "Kounotori," so it's necessary to properly separate which parts to utilize and which to change. In the future, it's the Mars exploration mission.

Right now, we have communication with almost no time difference with the astronauts on the ISS, and we can support them if anything happens. But in the case of Mars, communication takes four minutes round-trip. Even if we see a video and think "Oh, that's dangerous," that was two minutes ago. Even if we give advice, it takes two minutes to arrive.

Considering this time difference, it's necessary to separate what should be left to the astronauts and how far the ground controllers should go. I want to apply the knowledge I'm gaining now to subsequent manned space exploration missions.

Ultimately, I hope that what they do will connect to space somewhere. There are several moments in life to make decisions, and I think people worry about things like which department to go to in university or which lab to join. You won't know how that connects to the future until you actually gain experience. At every decision point, I want people to hesitate properly, think a lot, and consult with various people.

Thank you for today. *Affiliations and titles are as of the time this magazine was published.