Alexander Gerst during training at TKSC

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst during training on the Marangoni experiment, at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC), Japan, on 5 March 2014.

As part of the International Space Station project, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Kibo was developed and tested at TKSC. At Tsukuba the astronauts training covers experiments which take place inside the JEM.

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.