Middle-aged Japanese astronaut Yui prepares for first voyage into space

Kimiya Yui, right, is pictured with a U.S. and a Russian astronaut in this photo provided by JAXA and NASA.

On July 23 at 6:02 a.m. Japanese time, a Russian spacecraft carrying Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, 45, will launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, for the start of a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Yui, who will become the 10th Japanese national in space, was 39 when he was chosen as an astronaut candidate by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) -- the oldest ever at time of selection. He is also the first astronaut from the Japan Self-Defense Forces, having served in the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF).

"The ISS is a symbol of international cooperation," says Yui. "I want to tell many people that it is contributing to the peace of Japan."

Yui was born in Kawakami, Nagano Prefecture, a village well-known for its starry night skies. According to his father Sukeji, Yui was a good child who would help every day with the family lettuce-growing business. He first became interested in space in the third grade of elementary school, and the telescope he used as a child is still lovingly preserved in his parents' home.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/features/news/20150720p2a00m0na011000c.html

note: no, its not me..I never go anywhere that exciting!