C00386431
 UNCLAS 30/PXU/SU JA SPACE
 *** BEGIN MESSAGE       8 ***
 SERIAL=LD0612182290             UDN-V(41052)
 CLASS=UNCLAS  30/PMU/SU JA SPACE
 UNCLAS  30/PMU/SU JA SPACE
 SERIAL:   LD0612182290
 PASS:     COPY TO
 COUNTRY:  USSR
 SUBJ:     JAPANESE COSMONAUT'S OBSERVATIONS FROM SPACE
 REF:      LD0612121290 MOSCOW TASS ENGLISH 061201 -- SOVIET-JAPANESE
 CREW CONTINUE SPACE MISSION
 SOURCE:   MOSCOW TASS IN ENGLISH 1804 GMT 6 DEC 90
 TEXT:
 TASS CORRESPONDENT RENA KUZNETSOVA))
 ((TEXT))  MOSCOW DECEMBER 6 TASS --  "MY HEART FILLED WITH JOY 'WHEN
 I FIRST SAW JAPAN FROM THE ORBIT.   MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS -- MY
 MOTHERLAND WAS FAR AWAY AND I AM ALWAYS EXPECTED THERE," JAPANESE
 COSMONAUT TOYEHIRO AKIYAMA TOLD REPORTERS TODAY, COMMENTING ON HIS
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS IN SPACE.
 THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS HELD AT A MISSION CONTROL CENTRE NEAR
 MOSCOW AND SOVIET AND FOREIGN REPORTERS USED THE TV LINK-UP TO
 SHOWER THE CREW WITH QUESTIONS.
 THE SOYUZ TM-11 SPACE SHIP,  CARRYING TWO SOVIET COSMONAUTS VIKTOR
 AFANASYEV AND MUSA MANAROV, AND JAPANESE TELEVISION REPORTER
 TOYEHIRO AKIYAMA,  WAS LAUNCHED ON DECEMBER 2.'
 IT DOCKED WITH THE MIR SPACE STATION THREE DAYS AGO AND THE
 INTERNATIONAL CREW JOINED GENNADIY. MANAKOV AND GENNADIY  STREKALOV
 WHO ARE IN THEIR FIFTH MONTH IN ORBIT.
 COMMENTING TO TASS ABOUT HOW HE COPED WITH WEIGHTLESSNESS,
 AKAYAMA SAID HE FELT A LITTLE HEAVY  IN THE HEAD FOR.-THE FIRST TWO OR
 THREE DAYS,  BUT IS NOW FEELING ALL RIGHT.
 "HOW ARE THE FROGS?" TASS ASKED HIM,  REFERRING TO A MEDICO-
 BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT,  WHICH IS PART OF A SPACE RESEARCH PROGRAMME.
 "JUST FINE,  THEY JUMP A LOT,"  THE JAPANESE COSMONAUT SAID.
 "THE AIR OVER THE CARRIBEAN IS CLEAN AND BLUE.  BUT THERE IS HAZE
 OVER JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES -- AND THIS IS ALARMING," AKIYAMA
 SAID,  COMMENTING ON HIS VISUAL OBSERVATIONS.
 IN TURN, MUSA MANAROV -SAID THAT HE HAD ADAPTED TO WEIGHTLESSNESS
 FASTER THAN DURING HIS PREVIOUS FLIGHT.
 THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS ALSO ATTENDED BY THE STAND-BY CREW --
 ANATOLIY ARTSEBARSKY,  SERGEY KRIKALEV AND RIYOKO TIKUTI.
 RIYOKO HAD HER APPENDIX REMOVED ON THE EVE OF THE FLIGHT.   "I
 WILL SOON BE DRINKING CHAMPAGNE WITH YOU,  THE BOTTLE, MUSA MANAROV
 AND VIKTOR ARANASYEV PRESENTED ME,"  SHE TOLD HER COLLEAGUES.
 ASKED ABOUT lWF   S?GHTINGS,  GENNADIY STREKAL.OV SAID THAT THE CREW    *
 SAW A HUGE BALL OF LIGHT FOR SEVEN MINUTES ON SEPTEMBER 26.   THIS IS
 PROBABLY AN UNKNOWN NATURAL PHENOMENON,  HE SAID.
 (EFDALL)  061804             07/0215Z -DEC
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