TIL about the only astronaut who deserves to be treated as a hero. Until now I disdained the whole space endeavor. As a nerd I was supposed to follow it eagerly, but I found it boring and purposeless.
Here’s one astronaut worthy of emulation!
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Japan’s main TV network TBS wanted to send the first Japanese to space in order to boost their TV ratings. 163 TBS employees applied for the opportunity to fly to space. Eventually, Akiyama and camerawoman Ryoko Kikuchi were selected as the two final candidates. When Kikuchi developed a case of appendicitis a week before launch, Akiyama was selected for cosmonaut training and he was the primary crew member, with no backup in place. Akiyama began cosmonaut training in August 1989 in a deal between TBS and the Soviet Union. The commercialization of space flight was evident by the Soyuz TM-11 covered with advertising of TBS and other Japanese companies.
Akiyama was not a trained astronaut, scientist nor engineer. He was described as the first antihero in space as a result. During training he quit smoking cigarettes, having previous smoked four packs a day. Before liftoff when asked what he looked forward to most upon his return to Earth he said “I can’t wait to have a smoke”.
While on board the space station, Akiyama made nightly live broadcasts. He described his struggles such as space sickness and craving for cigarettes. Initially the TBS TV viewership was high, but by midweek it declined to slightly above normal.
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An actual hero. There’s an added sync in the jail meaning of TM.
Polistra's Mill 