NASA on Thursday allowed the media to observe astronaut Soichi Noguchi train for an upcoming U.S. shuttle mission.
Noguchi is training at the Johnson Space Center for the Atlantis mission, the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts.
On the mission, Noguchi will assist the shuttle pilot and others from inside the cockpit. These operations are regarded as a key to preventing further accidents, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Inside a simulator, Noguchi practiced informing the pilot of the changing positions and speed of the shuttle during its docking with the International Space Station.