Takuya Onishi
A Japanese astronaut who turned a childhood dream into reality, conducting vital science during a long-duration mission on the International Space Station.
Born 1975 (age 51)·Japanese astronaut, engineer and pilot·Birthday: December 22·Generation X
Biography
Takuya Onishi's path to space was one of disciplined progression. Before joining JAXA, he was a commercial airline pilot for All Nippon Airways, logging thousands of flight hours and mastering the intricacies of complex machinery. Selected as an astronaut in 2009, he embarked on years of rigorous training in robotics, spacewalk procedures, and scientific experimentation. His moment arrived in 2016 when he launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station for Expedition 48/49. During his four-month stay, he served as a flight engineer, maintaining the station's systems and conducting a wide array of experiments in microgravity, contributing to fields from biology to materials science. In 2025, he returned to the ISS, demonstrating the experience and steadiness that make veteran astronauts the backbone of long-term space exploration.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Takuya was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Takuya Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Takuya's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 50
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 51 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Completed a long-duration spaceflight (about 115 days) on the ISS in 2016.
- Served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49, conducting numerous scientific experiments.
- Returned to the ISS in 2025 as part of Expedition 72/73 for another operational mission.
- Certified as a Soyuz spacecraft flight engineer, a critical role for launch and docking.
Did You Know?
He is a qualified jet pilot who flew Boeing 767 aircraft for a commercial airline.
Onishi took a traditional Japanese *kendama* (cup-and-ball toy) to space to demonstrate physics in microgravity.
He posted numerous photos of Earth from the ISS, with a particular focus on Japan's islands.
“From the ISS, the Earth is so beautiful. There are no borders visible, just one planet.”
