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The Prime Minister Receives a Courtesy Call from the Crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour Tuesday, May 13, 2008 JAPANESE

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda received a courtesy call from the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, including Mr. Takao Doi, an astronaut who boarded the space shuttle this March and contributed to installing the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized Section (ELM-PS), a module of Japan's first manned facility in space, Kibo, and Mr. Dominic Gorie, the commander of the space shuttle, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Kibo, Japan's laboratory module, is now a part of the International Space Station (ISS), a huge manned facility orbiting at about 400 kilometers that is under construction by 15 countries. On March 20, Mr. Doi and other ISS crew members had conversed from space with Prime Minister Fukuda in Japan. Prime Minister Fukuda said, "Thank you for all your efforts. I have been looking forward to seeing you." In response, Mr. Gorie expressed his appreciation, saying, "We enjoyed talking with you from space, and we are very grateful for this opportunity to meet and talk with you." Later, the crew presented the Prime Minister with commemorative photographs taken in space. Related link: Conversation with Astronaut Takao Doi at the International Space Station (ISS)