who was the first Japanese person to perform an extravehicular activity (EVA). Doi joined the National Space Development Agency in 1985 and trained with the Johnson Space Center from 1995. As a mission specialist on a Columbia flight in November 1997, he logged more than 12 hours during two EVAs to test assembly procedures for the International Space Station (ISS). Between 11 March and 27 March 2008, he flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-123 mission which delivered the first element of Kibo to the ISS. Doi retired from astronaut service in 2009.