Naoko Yamazaki

Japanese mother selected for space shuttle mission in Feb 2010

Tuesday 11th November, 09:53 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 34 Total Comments Show All

Potsu at 05:54 PM JST - 11th November

Please please please Japanese masukomi,don't run with the Okasan crap...yes it's wonderful but the women was a professional long before the child.The women has her own identity,not just as a mother.
cleo at 07:39 PM JST - 11th November

'The first Japanese mother' bit is perhaps aimed at showing how it is possible even in Japan for a woman to have a family and a career - every little helps in boosting the birth rate. Now ladies who were resigned to being childless because they didn't think they could handle childcare and a job might be encouraged to give it a try -* if she can fly into space, I can ride to the office* kinda thing.

Pity she went to Todai, though; most women would find it easier to identify with her if she'd gone to a more accessible-to-the-average-person kind of university.

http://www.topuniversities.com/universityrankings/results/2008/overallrankings/top100universities/

(For the Youdontknows of this world, Todai ranks 19th in the world, 1st in Asia, and is the world's leading university in the non-English-speaking world.)
nidu at 08:09 PM JST - 11th November

congratulations! Whats up next? First Japanese Grandmother
medievaltimes at 10:12 PM JST - 11th November

Being an astronaut and being a mother (or father for that matter) is very common. Are we living in 2008?
temporaryVisa at 11:50 PM JST - 11th November

Yup, she can go up and down for 14 days while astronaut Koichi Wakata is going to be leaving his child and wife for 3 months, but then he is a man of course.
usaexpat at 12:14 AM JST - 12th November

If I were her I'd decline the invite. Sorry to admit this but the space shuttle program is aging equipment and winding down shortly. I get her desire to go into space but with a small child and the memory of two shuttle disasters she should wait for the next ride.
JohnBecker at 02:36 AM JST - 12th November

@Nessie: the only "orbonaut" I can recall is Woody Allen in "Sleeper."
Sammi33 at 07:59 AM JST - 12th November

A mother? Doing things that don't involve the kitchen? Blasphemy!
soldave at 09:30 AM JST - 12th November

timeon - do you mean "freak" in a bad way or a good way?!

1eyedjack - I expect because it's listed as a Japanese national story, and seeing as she's the first Japanese mother it makes news here. Consequently, if it was going to be the first American mother going into space then I expect it would be in the news in the US, but probably not in Japan.
soldave at 09:30 AM JST - 12th November

sammi33 - they could very well be taking her up there to wash up for them!
1eyedjack at 04:47 PM JST - 12th November

"Consequently, if it was going to be the first American mother going into space then I expect it would be in the news in the US, but probably not in Japan."

Wrong ! It wasn't news in either place. America doesn't dwell on such insignifigance.
Proffessor at 06:51 PM JST - 12th November

1eyedjack, you seem to have a problem. What's this got to do with American astronouts? We are paying for this mission and not the U.S govt. Nasa is simply providing it's facilities and logistical support, period.

What might be insignificant to you might be to us and vice versa.

Go Naoko!
borscht at 07:34 AM JST - 14th November

First mother in space in America? I don't recall it being news that Christa McAuliffe was the first US mother in space because she was being touted as the first non-astronaut in space as she was 'just' a teacher. Perhaps she wasn't the first US mother in space. I do recall that John Glenn's daughter (born after Glenn's space work) was the first child conceived after an astronaut returned from space. But I have to agree with 1eyedjack in that the US doesn't make everyone a 'first' no matter how far they have to stretch to find a first (First Best Jeanist in Space, for example.)
kirakira25 at 09:27 AM JST - 16th November

Wow! I kind of feel like a perrenial underachiever now! Go Naoko! She should be proud not just to be the first "mom" in space but to even have been selected in the first place. Those walls haven`t tumbled down yet, but they are definitely starting to crumble.
PepinGalarga at 05:16 PM JST - 16th November

Best astronautist motherist, anyone?