WASHINGTON -- Astronaut Koichi Wakata has sent a message of support to the two latest candidates for Japan's astronaut corps, and even admitted feeling "envious" that they might participate in moon landings in the future.
"I really look forward to working with them," Wakata said during a press conference beamed from the International Space Station on Wednesday. "I would like to convey what I have experienced as an astronaut, and I would like to support them for their training as well as for their space flight."
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced Tuesday that Ayu Yoneda, a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, and Makoto Suwa, a senior disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank, had been selected from the applicants who took the agency's recent exam to select astronaut candidates.
