Astronaut wore same underwear for a month in orbit

IN WHAT might embarrass less adventurous souls, astronaut Koichi Wakata is returning to Earth with the underwear he kept on for a solid month during his space station stay and scientists will check them out.

They’re experimental high-tech undies, designed in Japan to be odour free.

The Japanese spaceman described his underwear test as shuttle Endeavour and its crew aimed for a touchdown. The astronauts released some mini satellites, their final job before yesterday’s re-entry, and said it was time to come home after more than two weeks aloft.

Wakata has been off the planet for 4 1/2 months.

“I haven’t talked about this underwear to my crew members,” Wakata said in an interview, drawing a big laugh from his six shuttle colleagues. “But I wore them for about a month, and my station crew members never complained for about a month, so I think the experiment went fine.”

The Japanese underwear, called J-Wear, is a new type of anti-bacterial, water-absorbent, odour-eliminating clothing designed for space travel. The line includes shirts, pants and socks as well. Wakata tested all of them during his mission; he had four pairs of the silver-coated underwear, a cross between briefs and boxers.

“We’ll see the results after landing,” Wakata said.

J-Wear is billed as being antistatic and flame retardant, which is especially important for spaceship wear. The cotton and polyester clothes are also seamless, making them lighter and more comfortable, according to the Japanese Space Agency. The goal is “comfortable everyday clothes for life in a spaceship”.