Astronaut Onishi returns to Earth after 5-month mission to ISS
"Thank you very much to everyone who supported me during my long stay on the ISS," Onishi, 49, posted on the social media platform X. Onishi, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, along with two Americans and one Russian, departed the station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule on Friday afternoon.
Onishi also left words of encouragement for fellow Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, 55, who remains aboard the station.
"It was only for a short time, but I was overjoyed to be able to work together in space with you," Onishi said. "Please do your best during the rest of your stay."
Onishi departed Earth in March from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Crew Dragon.
During his mission, Onishi took part in scientific experiments with a view toward future lunar exploration.
In April, Onishi became the third Japanese astronaut to serve as ISS commander. He welcomed Yui aboard when he arrived at the station on Aug. 2.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
4 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Inside Science Labs Trying to Survive in the Trump Era
WORCESTER, Mass. – Anastasia Khvorova is perched at the edge of a massive scientific opportunity. Her laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School deploys cutting-edge RNA biology with one aim: to solve diseases – the ones that rob people of their memories or endanger pregnant women. Lately, she sees peril all around her. In the hallway, she bumps into one world-class chemist, then another, whose salaries are supported by federal funding the Trump administration has proposed to drastically slash. Many are immigrants like herself, who can no longer be sure America is the best country in the world to do science – or that they are welcome. Khvorova built her career by thinking boldly, but if slowdowns and cuts to federal science funding continue, she'll be forced to winnow her ambitions. 'What is happening right now is absolutely suicidal,' said Khvorova, speaking softly in Russian-accented English. 'I will stop making drugs. I will reduce my lab from 30 people to five. I will stop training scientists.' With stunning speed, the Trump administration has over the past six months cut research dollars, terminated grants and hit the brakes on federal funding, destabilizing an 80-year-old partnership between the government and universities that has made the United States a scientific superpower. The policy twists may sound arcane, but to researchers, everything is at stake. Day-to-day, Khvorova's lab is bright and buzzing. Scientists are trying to develop cures for Huntington's disease or halt the muscle loss that comes with aging. Longer term? 'I have no clue,' Khvorova said. The Trump administration portrays its changes as a targeted correction. Officials say grants are being terminated because they touch on topics with which the administration disagrees, such as increasing diversity in science. 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In the past few years, several biotech companies have spun out of Chan, including Comanche Biopharma, which is focused on a treatment for preeclampsia – a complication of pregnancy – and Atalanta Therapeutics, which is searching for cures for neurodegenerative diseases. Khvorova, a co-founder of both companies, came to the United States with very little money in the mid-1990s, intending to check a box on her résumé and stay a year or two. Instead, she became a 'typical example of the American Dream,' as she puts it. She's an inventor named on nearly 250 patents. She just scooped up one of the most prestigious prizes in biomedical research, with a $2.7 million award. She should be on top of the world. But as she walked to her lab on a recent Tuesday, she gestured sadly at a collection of empty champagne bottles sitting high up above the cabinets in the lounge outside. Each bottle, she noted, is a trained graduate student – a reminder that most of next year's class was turned away.
2 days ago
Japanese Astronaut Onishi Returns to Earth
News from Japan Science Society Aug 10, 2025 12:35 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)--Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi safely returned to Earth Sunday Japan time following a stay of about five months aboard the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon capsule carrying Onishi, 49, and other astronauts landed in the waters off the U.S, state of California around 12:33 a.m. Japan time. About an hour after landing, the hatch of the capsule was opened and Onishi appeared, smiling and waving at the camera. For Onishi, this was the second space flight and the first since 2016. He stayed at the ISS from March and became the third Japanese commander of the ISS in April. On Aug. 2, Onishi welcomed Kimiya Yui, 55, who was selected as an astronaut in Japan at the same time as him, to the ISS. The Crew Dragon capsule was separated from the ISS around 7:15 a.m. Saturday Japan time. After re-entering the atmosphere, it opened its parachute and splashed down into the sea. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- The Mainichi
Astronaut Onishi returns to Earth after 5-month mission to ISS
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi along with three fellow crew members returned to Earth on Saturday after spending around five months orbiting the planet aboard the International Space Station. "Thank you very much to everyone who supported me during my long stay on the ISS," Onishi, 49, posted on the social media platform X. Onishi, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, along with two Americans and one Russian, departed the station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule on Friday afternoon. Onishi also left words of encouragement for fellow Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, 55, who remains aboard the station. "It was only for a short time, but I was overjoyed to be able to work together in space with you," Onishi said. "Please do your best during the rest of your stay." Onishi departed Earth in March from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Crew Dragon. During his mission, Onishi took part in scientific experiments with a view toward future lunar exploration. In April, Onishi became the third Japanese astronaut to serve as ISS commander. He welcomed Yui aboard when he arrived at the station on Aug. 2.
