Makoto Suwa (諏訪 理, Suwa Makoto, born 1977[1] in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese climate scientist and astronaut selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Makoto Suwa | |
|---|---|
| 諏訪 理 | |
| Born | 1977 (age 47–48) Tokyo, Japan |
| Education | |
| Space career | |
| JAXA astronaut | |
Previous occupation | Climate scientist, World Bank |
| Selection | 2023 JAXA Group |
Early life
editSuwa was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1977 and grew up in Tsukuba, Ibaraki.[2][3] At a young age he visited the Expo 85 held at Tsukuba.[4] While in elementary school he travelled to NASA where he met Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan.[2][5]
Education and career
editSuwa graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1999. He received a Ph.D. in climate science from Duke University, and a master of environment management degree from Princeton University.[6][2] In 2008 he joined the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and was dispatched to Rwanda, where he served as a lecturer at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.[1][6] He then worked for the World Meteorological Organization, both at its Geneva headquarters and Office for Eastern and Southern Africa at Nairobi, Kenya.[6] From 2014 he worked at the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR); at the time of his astronaut selection he held the role of Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist.[1][7]
On 28 February 2022, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) selected Suwa as an astronaut candidate along with Ayu Yoneda.[2] Chosen at the age of 46, he is the oldest JAXA astronaut candidate at the time of selection.[4][5] He completed basic training and was certified for flight by JAXA on October 21, 2024.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "JAXA宇宙飛行士候補者（2021～2022年度 募集・選抜）の決定について" (Press release) (in Japanese). JAXA. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "新たな宇宙飛行士誕生へ ～"最難関"の試験を突破した ２人の素顔に迫る～". NHK (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
- ^ "宇宙飛行士選抜合格2人を発表 諏訪さんは茨城・つくば市出身、土浦一高卒 「しっかり仕事していく」". Ibaraki Shimbun (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b "宇宙飛行士候補 茨城県育ちで国際機関勤務の男性など２人". NHK (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b "2千倍の難関突破 宇宙飛行士候補2人が意気込み". The Nikkei (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b c "諏訪理 世界銀行 防災グローバルファシリティ（GFDRR）上級防災専門官～第44回 世銀スタッフの横顔インタビュー" (in Japanese). World Bank. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "宇宙飛行士合格2人が会見 諏訪さん「大変しあわせ」米田さん「喜びと同時に驚き」". Fuji News Network (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "米田あゆ・諏訪理の宇宙飛行士認定について" [Regarding the certification of Ayu Yoneda and Satoshi Suwa as astronauts]. JAXA (Press release) (in Japanese). October 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-24.