野口さん、「あっという間の２６年」　宇宙飛行３回、ＪＡＸＡ退職前に会見

　６月１日付で宇宙航空研究開発機構（ＪＡＸＡ）を退職することを表明した宇宙飛行士の野口聡一さん（５７）が２５日、東京都内で記者会見し、「選抜以来、あっという間の２６年だった。３回の宇宙飛行を無事に達成し、そろそろ後進の人たち、後輩飛行士や新たに選抜される新人飛行士に道を譲りたいと考えるようになった」と述べた。今後は研究機関などでの活動を中心に、宇宙関連事業への助言や、人材育成などに携わるという。
　野口さんは石川島播磨重工業（現ＩＨＩ）を経て、１９９６年に宇宙飛行士候補に選抜。２００５年に米スペースシャトルで初飛行後、０９年にロシア・ソユーズ宇宙船、２０年に米民間宇宙船クルードラゴンにそれぞれ搭乗、国際宇宙ステーション（ＩＳＳ）に長期滞在した。（2022/05/25-18:20）

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi has reflected on his 26 years in the profession ahead of his retirement from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, at the beginning of June.
   "The 26 years since my selection as astronaut passed in a blink of an eye," Noguchi, 57, said at a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday. "After completing my three successful space flights, I felt it was time to pass the torch on to junior and future astronauts."
   He said he hopes to be involved in giving advice for space-related projects and fostering talent mainly at research institutions after leaving JAXA.
   Noguchi worked at Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., now IHI Corp. , before being selected as a JAXA astronaut candidate in 1996. He conducted a space flight aboard a U.S. Space Shuttle in 2005. He then went to space on a Soyuz spacecraft of Russia in 2009 and a Crew Dragon spacecraft from the U.S. private sector in 2020, staying on the International Space Station for a long period of time.
   Noguchi said that he experienced burnout after his return from his third space flight in May 2021. "I thought it would be a good time for me to go out into the harsh world of the private sector and experience hardships again instead of staying in the comfortable environment (at JAXA), he said of the reason for his decision to leave the government-affiliated institution.