JAXA

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

Japan is known for numerous things: sushi, samurai, advanced robotics, manga and a rapidly aging population to name but a few. Maybe not as well known abroad as NASA or ESA, Japan also has its own aerospace agency called JAXA, which in its current form is still very young. Its veteran astronaut – Koichi Wakata – is currently on board the International Space Station (not his first time either) and you can follow what he is up to on his Twitter account @Astro_Wakata.

JAXA, short for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, was born in October 2003, in a merger of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) to create efficiency in numbers, combining forces on anything from basic research to developement and administration. This year, on its 10th anniversary, the organization’s slogan became “Explore to Realize” aiming at the fact that they want to “build a safe and prosperous society” with their research and achievements. Not in the least, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster which the country is still recovering from and will be for many years to come, one of the agency’s top priorities is to establish a system for natural disaster management.

Another of JAXA’s goals is to revive its aircraft manufacturing industry while promoting the space industry as Japan’s key industry of the future. And as the most easterly country in Asia, JAXA will be thinking about creating hypersonic aircraft which can cross the Pacific Ocean in 2 hours at speeds of Mach 5. But Japan wouldn’t be Japan without some cutting-edge robot thrown into the mix right, whether it’s in anime or space…

Kirobo’s first words were “On August 21, 2013, a robot took one small step toward a brighter future for all,” and like all good astronauts even Kirobo (the word “kirobo” itself is a portmanteau of “kibō” (希望), which means “hope” in Japanese, and the word “robo” (ロボ), used as a generic short word for any robot) had a backup on Earth in the form of its twin robot Mirata.

Japan’s space program of course goes back a lot further than 2003 (the country’s first satellite – named OHSUMI – was put into orbit in February of 1970) but looking at recent developments, their new Epsilon rocket program seems to herald the dawn of a new era for Japan’s space industry. In a country which has had its fair share of bad luck in recent years, a new type of rocket that would only need 8 people at the launch site opposed to the 150 people from earlier launches, saving millions on every launch can only be a good thing, but more on that another time. Sayonara!

“I know the whole world is watching now. I wish you could see what I can see. Sometimes you have to be up really high to understand how small you are… I’m coming home now.”

– Felix Baumgartner (1969)

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Constructing the ISS

Today In History – November 20

Fifteen years ago to the day, man began arguably the most challenging construction project in the history of the species: the International Space Station. Sure, you have CERN’s Large Hadron Collider which got constructed to look for several theorized particles including the Higgs particle and test theories around particle and high-energy physics. But for all that is marvelous about this enormous undertaking, that project was still on Earth – more precisely deep under the ground on Swiss and French territory – while the I.S.S. was assembled in space. Coincidently, both projects’ construction started in 1998 but the LHC took three years less to reach completion, in 2008. We covered the build of the station a while back in case you misssed it.

Buran

Today In History – November 15

Today 25 years ago, a major milestone in the space race happened when the Soviets launched their first space shuttle, the Buran on a 200 minute flight into space. The program to develop this orbital vehicle was in response to the U.S. Space Shuttle which obviously was a concern for the Soviet military due to the Shuttle’s ability to take with it enormous payloads. Funnily enough it was actually the calculations by the Soviets that the American Space Shuttle program could never be profitable unless there would be a launch a week, that led them to conclude it must have been military in nature. An assumption that moved the development of the Buran to the top of the military priority list.

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air….

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

The poem endured as a favourite among aviators and, more recently, astronauts. Beyond being quoted in numerous books and speeches, it’s also the official poem of the Royal Canadian Air Fore and Royal Air Force and must be recited by freshmen at the United States Air Force Academy.

It was written by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American aviator and poet who died during World War II. He was only 19 years old…

X-37B

US Air Force X-37B

We all know that bureaucracy can lead to overcomplicated situations. If you’ve never heard of UNOOSA then rest assured you will not be the only one. The acronym stands for United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, it’s history can be traced back to the late fifties and early sixties. How does this relate to the X-37B? Well, the UNOOSA created *prepare yourself* the Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, which has been accepted by the United Nations General Assembly. You can read the content in its entirety here but the short summary would be that all space exploration will be done with good intentions and is equally open to all States that comply with international law… basically, don’t be the classroom bully shaking down or beating up the other kids.

So, interesting then that the US airforce is developing its own military shuttle, the highly secretive X-37B. Fully automated, launched atop a Boeing Atlas-V rocket and able to stay in orbit for months at a time, there don’t seem to be many actual facts about its purpose floating about. Commanded by the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron, 21st Space Wing, of the Air Force Space Command in Colorado, its official mission is “to provide resilient and cost-effective Space and Cyberspace capabilities for the Joint Force and the Nation.” Several times smaller than the retired Space Shuttles of which its aerodynamic design was derived, the project started in 1999 when NASA selected Boeing Integrated Defense Systems to design and develop an orbital vehicle. It was built by the California branch of Boeing’s Phantom Works whose primary focus is developing advanced military products and technologies, many of them highly classified. Five years later, the operation was  transferred from NASA to DARPA and became shrouded in mystery.

The Air Force stated it will “demonstrate various experiments and allow satellite sensors, subsystems, components, and associated technology to be transported into space and back”, which could mean absolutely anything. Surely it will only be a matter of time before the public will start asking questions en masse – until someone else leaks a bundle of cables disclosing everything of course.

John Glenn in 1998

Today In History – October 29

Glenn
noun [U]     /ɡlenn/
› Man. Legend. America’s first orbiting astronaut.

You can read more about him in this piece about the Space Shuttle program, but today 15 years ago, John Glenn made history again by returning to space at the age of 77 which established his place in history not only as a pioneer but a man who never knew how to quit, having flown in both Mercury and Shuttle programmes.

Tom Hanks in Apollo 13

Celebrities Becoming Astronauts – part 2

As we are nearing the end of 2013, let’s have a look at some more people who will be able to  call themselves astronauts soon…

Actor/Director Tom Hanks – one of the most recognised actors of his generation all time, Hanks starred in block busters like Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Toy Story and Apollo 13. Aside from his acting creds, he also successfully collaborated with film director Steven Spielberg on several movies, as well as the 2001 mini-series Band of Brothers and its sequel The Pacific. A supporter of NASA‘s manned space program, Hanks has said that he originally wanted to be an astronaut but “didn’t have the math.” He does serve on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, a nonprofit educational space advocacy organisation and worked on several space related series and films over the years.

Singer Katy Perry – after buying her now ex Russell Brand a ticket, Perry decided to do the deed as well and get one for herself the year after. “I’m so into extraterrestrial stuff,” she said. “It’s very difficult for me to look up into the sky in the middle of the night and not think that our planet is one of… a bajillion.” Like she sings in a recent record called E.T. with Kayne West: “It’s supernatural. Extraterrestrial” Yes, it might be…

Princess Beatrice – who also goes by ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York’ as the eldest daughter of HRH The Duke of York and his now divorced wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, is destined to become the first royal in space. Born on the 8th August 1988 (8/8/88), she’s not a stranger to firsts mind you – she already became the first member of the British Royal Family to complete the London Marathon, raising money for Children in Crisis. Her link to this space adventure? Long-term boyfriend Dave Clark is head of astronaut relations at the company and Prince Andrew is reportedly also interested in the project. It’s good to have friends in high places, but when you are fifth in line for the throne, you don’t need any help surely.

Director Bryan Singer – won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and in recent years has worked on several sci-fi movies including the X-Men series and Superman Returns. Unknown perhaps to most people, it isn’t actually Singer’s first trip to space. In 2002, Patrick Stewart (who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard) got him to appear in Star Trek Nemesis as a Starfleet officer on the bridge of the Enterprise, after finding out that Singer was a lifelong Star Trek fan. Perhaps equally exciting as an actual trip to space, and definitely cheaper.

Actor Ashton Kutcher – signed up in April 2012 to become Virgin Galactic’s 500th customer, which Richard Branson tweeted about himself. “I gave Ashton a quick call to congratulate and welcome him. He is as thrilled as we are at the prospect of being among the first to cross the final frontier (and back!) with us and to experience the magic of space for himself,” Branson wrote. Starring in several movies, he is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That ’70s Show. Another feat Kutcher produced was that he became the first user of Twitter to have more than 1,000,000 followers. One million. Impressive.