Doi Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married. Born in Minamitama, Tokyo, Japan. PhD

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASDA Group - 1985, NASA Group 15 - 1995. Active Entered space service: 7 August 1985. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 15.69 days. Number of EVAs: 2.00. Total EVA Time: 0.53 days.

NAME: Takao Doi (Ph.D.)

NASDA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born September 18, 1954 in Minamitama, Tokyo, Japan. Married to the former Hitomi Abe of Toukamachi, Niigata, Japan. He enjoys flying, soaring, playing tennis, jogging, soccer, and observing stars as an amateur astronomer.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Ousaka-phu, Mikunigaoka High School in 1973. Bachelor of engineering degree from University of Tokyo, 1978. Master of engineering degree from University of Tokyo, 1980. Doctorate in aerospace engineering from University of Tokyo, 1983.

ORGANIZATIONS:

The Japan Society of Microgravity Application, the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Science, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Received Minister of State for Science and Technology's Commendation, Science Council of Japan's Special Citation, and National Space Development Agency of Japan's Outstanding Service Award in 1992.

PUBLICATIONS:

Published over 40 papers in the areas of chemical propulsion systems, electric propulsion systems, fluid dynamics, and microgravity science and technology.

EXPERIENCE:

Takao Doi studied space propulsion systems as a research student in the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Japan from 1983 to 1985. He worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center as a National Research Council research associate in 1985.

He joined the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan in 1985 and has been working in the Japanese manned space program since then. He conducted research on microgravity fluid dynamics at the University of Colorado from 1987 to 1988, and at National Aerospace Laboratory in Japan in 1989 as a visiting scientist. In 1992, he served as a backup payload specialist for the Spacelab Japan mission (STS-47). In 1994, he worked as a project scientist on the International Microgravity Laboratory 2 mission (STS-65).

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Dr. Doi was selected by NASDA in 1985. He participated in payload specialist training from 1990 to 1992 in preparation for the Spacelab Japan mission. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. On completing a year of training and evaluation he was assigned technical duties in the Vehicle Systems/Operations Branch of the Astronaut Office. Dr. Doi will serve as a mission specialist on the crew of the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload flight scheduled for an November 1997 launch on board Columbia on mission STS-87. During the 16-day mission Dr. Doi will become the first Japanese astronaut to conduct a spacewalk.

• 19 November 1997 Flight: STS-87. Flight Up: STS-87. Flight Back: STS-87. Flight Time: 15.69 days.

1988 February - STS-81-G (cancelled). Assignment: Proposed Backup Crew. Flight: STS-81-G. Planned Spacelab-J shuttle mission. Cancelled after Challenger disaster.

Spartan was recaptured by hand, during a spacewalk by Takao Doi and Winston Scott on November 25. Tests of space station tools went well, but the free-flying Sprint camera subsatellite was not deployed due to lack of time.

NASA decided not to redeploy Spartan on this mission. During an EVA on Dec 3, Doi and Scott carried out more tests of the Space Station crane. They also deployed the AERCam/Sprint 'football' remote-controlled camera for a free flight in the payload bay.

Columbia landed on December 5, with a deorbit burn at 11:21 GMT. Touchdown was at 12:20 GMT at Kennedy Space Center.

• NASA Astronaut Biographies, Johnson Space Center, NASA, 1995-present. Accessed at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/.