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The Crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery Pay Courtesy Call on the Prime Minister Tuesday, July 29, 2008 JAPANESE

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Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda received a courtesy call at the Prime Minister's Office from the crew of the space shuttle Discovery, including Mr. Akihiko Hoshide, an astronaut who boarded the space shuttle this June and assembled the inboard laboratory within the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo." "Kibo" 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 June 8, Mr. Hoshide and Mr. Mark Kelly, Commander of Discovery, had conversed from the inboard laboratory in Kibo with Prime Minister Fukuda in Japan. Being presented with commemorative photographs taken in outer space as gift, Prime Minister Fukuda gave to Mr. Hoshide the following words of appreciation, "It must have been no easy task but congratulations on your success of your mission." The conversation between Prime Minister Fukuda and the crew took place in a friendly atmosphere as the Prime Minister spoke to Commander Kelly to say, "We finally meet each other [after the conversation from the ISS]" and asked Mr. Garrett Reisman, an astronaut who came back to the Earth by Discovery after staying outer space for approximately three months, if he "missed the Earth." Related link: Conversation with Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide at the International Space Station (ISS)