Alexander Gerst during training at TKSC

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst during training on the plant gravity sensing experiment, at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center in Japan on 4 March 2014.

As part of the International Space Station, the Japanese Experiment Module, called Kibo, was developed and tested at TKSC. At Tsukuba the astronaut training covers experiments that take place in Kibo.

Alexander Gerst is flight engineer for Expedition 40/41, which will be launched to the International Space Station in May 2014 on a long-duration mission to run science experiments and maintain humankind’s space base.