YM COLUMN　ARCHIVE

March 12, 2008

Astronaut Doi going to space with “Kibo”

At 3:28pm on March 11 (JST), Space Shuttle Endeavour boarding seven astronauts including Astronaut Doi and carrying Japan’s first human-rated facility, Experiment Logistics Module- Pressurized Section (ELM-PS), left Kennedy Space Center. It is reported as making smooth flights. As of writing this column, Doi-san is checking on tiles for the thermal protection. Kibo’s experiment module is scheduled to be attached to International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow.

Astronaut Doi who made his first space flight in 1997 performed extra vehicle activity for the first time as a Japanese and talked many of his impressions after return to earth. His talk on impressions of all the first experiences for a Japanese, which I heard at his home in Houston entertained with his wife Hitomi-san’s homemade dishes, is still deeply remained in my mind. Particularly, I still remember I felt trembling in my heart at his telling grandiose beauty of the deep bluish earth expanding beyond his partner Astronaut Scott with whom he was working at the payload.

I hope he will fully enjoy his precious time that was given to him from his country by some kind of fate. As a sideshow, he is expected to throw a paper-made boomerang directly taught from Mr. Yasuhiro Togai, world champion of boomerang throwing. It was about a couple of years ago when Mr. Togai called over my JAXA office at Marunouchi in Tokyo. After listening to his boomerang play, we happened to come up with an idea what will happen if we throw a boomerang in space. A few days later I introduced Mr. Togai to Doi-san, which triggered boomerang throwing this time. Readers, just imagine how a boomerang will fly in gravity-free state.

I welcome your opinions on this column to the following E-mail address.
matogawa@planetary.or.jp

(Translated by The Planetary Society of Japan)

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