spacetoday.net: Japanese astronaut takes command of ISS for the first time

Japanese astronaut takes command of ISS for the first time

Posted: Mon, Mar 10, 2014, 6:13 AM ET (1013 GMT)
Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata took command of the International Space Station on Sunday, marking the first time an astronaut representing Japan has commanded the outpost. Wakata took command of the station from Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov in a ceremony Sunday. Most ISS commanders have bene Russian or American, although both European and Canadian astronauts have previously served as station commanders. Kotov, along with Sergey Ryazanskiy and American astronaut Mike Hopkins, will depart from the station Monday, landing in Kazakhstan Tuesday morning local time. Wakata will be in command of the station until he departs in mid-May.