ARCHIVE BIOGRAPHY · SEPTEMBER 2007
Biographical Sketch of Masamichi Yamashita
Professor, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA
September 2007
Biographical Sketch of Masamichi Yamashita
Professor, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA
Personal: Born February 11, 1948
Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan
Citizenship:
Japanese.
Education:
B. Sci.
University of Tokyo, Chemistry, 1971.
Dr. Sci.
University of Tokyo, 1976.
Dissertation: Chemical Reaction Kinetics Analyzed by a Monopole
Mass Spectrometer
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT:
2003-Present Prof., Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA). Department of Space Biology and Microgravity Sciences. Field:
Space life science, Space Agriculture.
1996-2003
Prof., Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. Division--Space System Engineering.
Field: Space life science.
1987-1996
Assoc. Prof., Space Utilization Research Center, Institute of Space and Astronautical
Science. Field: Space life science.
1982-1987
Assoc. Prof., Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. Division--Space Propulsion
Mechanisms. Field: Space system engineering; Biologically regenerative life support
systems.
1979-1982
Lecturer, Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science. Division--Rocket Propulsion.
Field: Heat and mass transport processes; Fluid dynamics of chemically reactive gases.
1976-1979
Assist. Prof., Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, University of Tokyo.
Division--Engines for Aeronautics, Heat and Mass Transport. Field: Kinetics of fast
chemical reactions in gas phase (combustion processes in jet engines, emission of
pollutant gases); Development of liquid hydrogen and oxygen rocket engine (thrust up to
10 ton).
1980-1983
Res. Assoc., Dept. Chemical Engineering, Yale University, studied with Prof. John B.
Fenn. Field: Gas dynamics and chemical reactions in hypersonic free jets. Ionization
source for biomedical mass spectrometry (ElectroSpray Ionization, ESI, for interfacing
Liquid Chromatograph and Mass Spectrometer, to analyze polar water-soluble
biomolecules and direct ionization of biological macro-molecules up to m/e 100,000.
Became defact source for biomedical mass spectrometry. Dr. Fenn won 2002 Nobel Prize
in Chemistry for his achievement of ESI mass spectrometry for protein macro-molecules.
Yamashita was invited to the Nobel Prize Ceremony held in Stockholm because of his
contribution to the original study on ESI first published in 1984 with the authorship of
Yamashita & Fenn.)
EXPERIENCE:
Masamichi Yamashita conducted the "Frogs in Space" experiment onboard the space station Mir in
1990, which was the first space experiment with animals conducted by Japan. In 1995, Yamashita also
sent Japanese red-bellied newts (Cynops) into orbit in the Space Flyer Unit (SFU), which was retrieved
by the Space Shuttle one year later. The "Space Embryology Experiment" using Japanese newts on the
IML-2 shuttle mission in 1994 was also implemented by him.
Yamashita has a broad range of professional experience in chemistry, physics and life science, and
hands-on expertise in mechanics, electronics, and thermal engineering. For the missions cited above,
most of the verification tests and safety engineering of the flight hardware was conducted by him. His
technical skills, apropos to this application, include metal cutting and lathing, circuit design (both analog
and digital), sewing experimental kits, soldering and printed board construction, assembler code
programming on computers, machining and assembly of hardware in various plastics--even amphibian
collecting and animal care.
During the flight operational phase of the SFU missions, he acted in the capacity of Flight Operation
Director on the satellite and its payload. His activities included the establishment of communication links
between the ground station, including NASA's Deep Space Network, and the spacecraft in orbit.
Yamashita also coordinated ground operations at the launch and landing site, with other scientists
involved in the experiments.
SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS of Masamichi Yamashita:
N. Katayama, Y. Ishikawa, M. Takaoki, M. Yamashita, S. Nakayama, K. Kiguchi, R. Kok, H. Wada, J.
Mitsuhashi and Space Agriculture Task Force; Entomophagy; a key to space agriculture, Adv
Space Res, on line, (2007).
Masamichi Yamashita, Yoji Ishikawa, Yoshiaki Kitaya, Eiji Goto, Mayumi Arai, Hirofumi Hashimoto,
Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, Masayuki Hirafuji, Katsunori Omori, Atsushi Shiraishi, Akira Tani,
Kyoichiro Toki, Hiroki Yokota, Osamu Fujita; An Overview of Challenges in Modeling Heat and
Mass Transfer for Living on Mars, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Science, 1077, 232-243 (2006).
Masamichi Yamashita, Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, and Teruko Nakamura; Space and Gravitational Biology
of Flowering Plants, In: Floriculture, Ornamental and Plant Biotechnology, Teixeira da Silva JA (ed),
Volume IV, pp. 249-260, Global Science Books, London, UK (2006).
Hiroki Yokota, Yoji Ishikawa, Masamichi Yamashita, Tairo Oshima, and Space Agriculture Task Force,
Space agriculture on Mars using hyper-thermophilic aerobic bacteria, Habitation, 10, 191 (2006).
Naomi Katayama, Masamichi Yamashita, Hidenori Wada, Jun Mitsuhashi, Space Agriculture Task Force;
Entomophagy as Part of a Space Diet for Habitation on Mars, J. Space Technol. Sci., 21-2, 27-38
(2005).
Masamichi Yamashita, Yoji Ishikawa, Makoto Nagatomo, Tairo Oshima, Hidenori Wada, and Space
Agriculture Task Force; Space Agriculture for Manned Space Exploration on Mars, J. Space
Technol. Sci., 21-2, 1-10 (2005).
M. Shimizu, K. Tomita-Yokotani, T. Nakamura, M. Yamashita; Tropism in Azalea and Lily Flowers, Adv.
Space Res., 36, 1298-1302 (2005).
Yamashita, M., K. Tomita-Yokotani, H. Hashimoto, and T. Nakamura; Experimental Concept for
Examination of Biologica Effects of Magnetic Field Concealed by Gravity, Adv. Space Res., 34,
1575-1578 (2004).
Naitoh, T., M. Yamashita, and R.J. Wassersug; Studying the visceral physiology of tadpoles through their
naturally transparent abdominal walls, Adv. Space Res., 32/8, 1491-1494 (2003).
Wassersug, R.J. and M. Yamashita; Assessing and Interpreting Lateralized Behaviors in Anuran
Larvae, Laterality, 7, 241-260 (2002).
Yamashita, M., A. Izumi-Kurotani, M. Imamizo, H. Koike, M. Okuno, C.J. Pfeiffer, S. Komazaki, F.
Sasaki, Y. Ohira, I. Kashima, S. Kikuyama, T. Ohnishi, Y. Mogami, and M. Asashima; Japanese
Red-Bellied Newts in Space - AstroNewt Experiment on Space Shuttle IML-2 and Space Flyer
Unit, Biol. Sci. Space, 15, S96-S103 (2001).
Naitoh, T., M. Yamashita, R. J. Wassersug; Factors influencing the susceptibility of anurans to motion
sickness, J. Comp. Physiol. A, 187, 105-113, (2001).
Wassersug, R. J., M. Yamashita; Plasticity and Constraints on Feeding Kinematics in Amphibian
Larvae, J. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 131, 183-195 (2001).
Seidel, B., M. Yamashita, In-Ho Choi, J. Dittami; Water Wave Communication in the Genus Bombina
(Amphibia), Adv. Space Res., 28(4), 589-594 (2001).
Yamashita, M., A. Yamashita, A. Shigematsu, Y. Kagami, R.J. Wassersug and T. Naitoh; Video image
analysis of respiratory and cardiac activity of tadpoles dedicated to space experiment, Biol. Sci.
Space, 14, 150-151, (2000).
Naitoh, T., M. Yamashita and R.J. Wassersug; Thigmotactic behavior of bottom dwelling tadpoles and
their behavior under microgravity, Biol. Sci. Space, 14, 280-281, (2000).
Yamashita, M., T. Naitoh, and R. J. Wassersug; Startle response and turning bias in Microhyla
tadpoles, Zool. Sci., 17, 185-189, (2000).
Naitoh, T., M. Yamashita, A. Izumi-Kurotani, I. Takabatake and R.J. Wassersug; Emesis in
amphibians, Adv. Space Res., 25 (10), 2015-2018, (2000).
Wassersug, R.J. and M. Yamashita; The mechanics of air-breathing in anuran larvae: implications to
the development of amphibians in microgravity, Adv. Space Res., 25 (10), 2007-2013 (2000).
Yamashita, M., T. Naitoh, A. Kashiwagi, and R.J. Wassersug; Amphibian larvae and space biology,
Space Utiliz. Res., 16, 76-79, (2000).
Shin, J. S., J. C. Park, M. Yamashita, and I.-H. Choi; Anuran metamorphosis: a model for
gravitational study on motor development, Korean J Biol Sci., 4, 223-229, (2000).
Wassersug, R., T. Naitoh and M. Yamashita ; Turning bias in Tadpoles, J. Herpetology, 33, 543-548,
(1999).
Yamashita, M., T. Naitoh, A. Kashiwagi, Y. Kondo and R.J. Wassersug; Allometry in vestibular
responses of anurans, Adv. Space Res., 23, 2083-2086, (1999).
Choi, I.-H. and M. Yamashita; Adjustment of muscle function to flight in bats, Aeron. Space Sci. Jpn.,
47, 287-294 (1999).
Naitoh, T., M. Yamashita, K. Harada and R.J. Wassersug; Observation of the gut in tadpoles under
microgravity, Biol. Sci. Space, 13, 176-177, (1999).
Yamashita, M., M. Sasada, K. Sugiura, Y. Ishikawa, K. Kobayashi, H. Mizutani, Y. Kawasaki, J. Koike,
K. Ijiri, J. Poynter, T. MacCallum and G. Anderson; Performance of a digital video camcorder for the
Autonomous Biological System Experiment onboard Space Station Mir, Biol. Sci. Space, 12,
389-393, (1998).
Yamashita, M., Izumi-Kurotani, A., Mogami, Y., Okuno, M., Naitoh, T., and Wassersug, R.J.; The Frog in
Space (FRIS) experiment onboard Space Station Mir: Final report and follow-on studies, Biol. Sci.
Space, 11, 313-320, (1997).
Yamashita, M., A. Izumi-Kurotani, M. Imamizo, Y.o Mogami, H. Koike, S. Komazaki and M. Asashima;
BIO experiment on Space Flyer Unit: Effects of gravity on early development of Japanese red
bellied newt, J. Space Tech. Sci., 13, 12-17, (1997).
Izumi-Kurotani, A., Mogami, Y., Okuno, M. and Yamashita, M.; Frog Experiment onboard Space Station
Mir, Adv. Space Biol. Med., 6, 193-211, (1997).
Mogami, Y., Imamizo M, Yamashita M, Izumi-Kurotani A, Wiederhold ML, Koike H, and Asashima M;
AstroNewt - Early development of newt in space. Adv Space Res 17, 257, (1996).
Yamashita, M., and Fenn JB; Electrospray ion source, another variation of free jet theme, J. Phys. Chem.,
88, 4451, (1984).