Satellite News Network

Japan space agency says research team tampered with ISS experiment

Japan’s space agency said Friday that a research team had tampered with data from an experiment simulating life on the International Space Station.

The team, headed by astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, will be “appropriately” punished because he had a supervisory role in the experiment, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said.

The experiments occurred in 2016 and 2017 and involved 40 participants. They stayed in isolation chambers for two weeks to mimic what astronauts would face during planetary exploration. Researchers interviewed the subjects to assess their mental state.

However, JAXA said that two researchers compiled psychiatric assessments without conducting interviews and rewrote diagnoses.

The agency began to investigate the project after noticing discrepancies in the data.

Furukawa is due to start a long-term stay at the International Space Station in or after 2023. JAXA says the misconduct has no impact on the plan for now.

JAXA Vice President Hiroshi Sasaki said, “sloppy management of the experiment has damaged the credibility of (our) research data and the scientific value of research as a whole.”

Source: United Press International

Related Links

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News



Thanks for being there;

We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook – our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don’t have a paywall – with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.


SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly





paypal only


SpaceDaily Contributor

$5 Billed Once





credit card or paypal





With new supplies, space station astronauts to research mending broken bones

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 21, 2021


New research on the International Space Station will include implantable drug delivery devices and an adhesive that can stimulate bone growth.
SpaceX will launch a resupply mission as early as Tuesday to deliver a payload of items developed by commercial companies that need to be tested in orbit. The launch window opens at 3:54 p.m. EST.
It will be the 26th commercial resupply service mission by SpaceX and NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket is to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Flori … read more

Exit mobile version