Tag: ‘Space’

Building glows blue with cosmic radiation

27 Sep 2006

M-INT Kobe -- M-INT Kobe, a commercial complex scheduled to open in Kobe on October 4, has been outfitted with an exterior lighting system that translates cosmic energy waves into pulsating blue light. The system is the first of its kind to be installed on a building in Japan.

Called "Super Nova," the lighting system consists of 2,880 blue LEDs arranged in two columns spanning the height of the 18-story building's west wall. The embedded lights are activated by sensors that detect cosmic rays. According to Takuro Osaka, the University of Tsukuba Graduate School professor who designed the system, the brightness of the blue lights fluctuates according to the intensity of the detected cosmic rays, giving the building an ever-changing magical glow.

Takuro Osaka has been exploring the use of cosmic radiation in art since 1995, and for years he has been discussing the possibility of collaborating with Japan's space agency (JAXA, formerly NASDA) on art projects in outer space. Check out Takuro Osaka's homepage for details about his previous spaced-out projects.

[Sources: Kobe Shimbun, Kobe Topics]

Edo-period UFO

07 Sep 2006

The Iwase Bunko Library has in its possession a document entitled Hyouryuukishuu ("Tales of Castaways"), which was printed during the late Edo period (1603-1868).

Utsuro-bune scroll

The document recounts the stories of Japanese sailors who find themselves in foreign lands after becoming lost at sea, as well as castaway foreigners washed ashore on the beaches of Japan. To the Japanese people, who at the time had been living in a prolonged period of national isolation, these exotic tales must have seemed very fantastic.

Among these stories is the account of a wrecked ship with a very mysterious appearance.

Edo-period UFO scroll

According to the document, this vessel washed ashore at Harashagahama in Hitachi-no-kuni (present-day Ibaraki prefecture). The body of the ship, described as 3.3 meters tall and 5.4 meters wide, had been built from red sandalwood and iron and was fitted with windows of glass or crystal. The mysterious characters of an unknown alphabet were found inscribed inside the vessel.

Edo-period UFO scrollAboard the drifting vessel was a finely dressed young woman with a pale face and red eyebrows and hair. She was estimated to be between 18 and 20 years old. Because she spoke an unfamiliar tongue, those that encountered her were unable to determine from whence she came. In her arms she clutched a plain wooden box that appeared to be of great value to her, as she would allow nobody to approach it.

The document shows a portion of the text found inside the ship (see left).

Other Edo-period documents describe variations of this mysterious encounter. Toen Shousetsu (1825), a book by Kyokutei Bakin (who is most famous for his 106-volume samurai epic Nansou Satomi Hakkenden) tells the story of the same encounter, referring to the strange vessel as the utsuro-fune ("hollow ship"). Another variation of this tale appears in Ume no Chiri (1844), penned by a relatively unknown author named Nagahashi Matajirou. A thorough analysis of these two variations of the story can be found in a translated article by Kazuo Tanaka titled "Did a Close Encounter of the Third Kind Occur on a Japanese Beach in 1803?"

Contemporary fans of the paranormal know this ship as the Edo-period UFO.

[Link: Hyouryuukishuu in the Iwase Bunko Collection]

Martian silkworms eyed as protein source

24 May 2006

BBQ-flavored silkwormsJapanese scientists researching the prospects of long-term human settlements on Mars are dreaming up ways to address the challenges of Martian agriculture. At a recent meeting of the Japan Geoscience Union held in Chiba, Professor Masamichi Yamashita (58) of the Japan Aeropsace Exploration Agency (JAXA) unveiled a unique space agriculture concept that would liven up the rather mundane task of cultivating rice in greenhouse domes. In his concept, settlers would plant mulberry trees and breed silkworms, the pupae of which would be consumed as a source of animal protein.

"Japan has the unique advantage of calling into play its excellent silk cultivation technology and long-established culinary culture," says Yamashita, who has been studying the subject since January 2005. As part of his research, Professor Yamashita has met with about 70 experts in fields ranging from medicine to agriculture to food science. "Space agriculture research is about the pursuit of near-complete recycling inside domes, something that can also be applied to safe organic agriculture on Earth," he says.

With trips to Mars taking 18 months each way, settlers will not be able to rely on frequent supply shipments from Earth. A self-sufficient supply of oxygen and food will be essential to the succes of any lengthy stay on Mars. The thin Martian atmosphere and a sunlight intensity half that on Earth pose additional agricultural challenges, and the unwillingness to taint the search for extraterrestrial life with microorganism-laden human and animal waste demands a rigorous recycling program.

Yamashita's concept involves the construction of transparent resin domes where rice, beans, potatoes, and mulberries are grown in soil consisting of a mixture of Martian sand and compost material. The plants would generate oxygen inside the domes, and the mulberry leaves would serve as food for the silkworms. The settlers could then either eat the silkworm pupae directly or use them as food for fish and poultry they raise.

"When cooked, silkworm pupae taste like shrimp or crab meat," says Professor Yamashita. "People all over Japan ate them during the food shortages after World War II, and you can still buy canned pupae in Nagano prefecture."

[Source: Nishinippon Shimbun]

New images of disintegrating “lost comet”

12 May 2006

The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan?s (NAOJ) Subaru Telescope in Hawaii has captured new images of the Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 comet, which became known as a "lost comet" when it disappeared for 50 years after its discovery in 1930. On May 12 (today) the comet reaches the closest point to the Earth in its 5.4-year elliptical orbit around the sun.

Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, the lost comet

The images show the disintegration of the comet's Fragment B. Short tails can be seen on some of the pieces, which are believed to have broken off recently.

Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, the lost cometAccording to NAOJ, the comet is disintegrating as it orbits the sun, and has broken into at least 50 pieces. The Subaru Telescope images show 13 small fragments near the bright Fragment B. The researchers plan to compare the images with observation data from other telescopes to get a better understanding of the comet's disintegration.

Fragment C, which is the brightest, is visible near the Lyra constellation in the eastern sky at around 12:00 midnight (in Japan), and Fragment B is visible near the Hercules constellation. On May 12, the comet will be 12 million kilometers (7.5 million miles) from the Earth, about 30 times the distance to the moon.

[Sources: Asahi Shimbun, Subaru Telescope press release]

ROBO-ONE sets 2010 date for space robot battles

11 Apr 2006

At the ROBO-ONE competition held in Tokyo in March, organizers announced plans to begin holding its robot competition in space in the year 2010. According to the recently launched "ROBO-ONE in the Space" official website, the project aims to further the progress of robot technology and boost the value of engineers by embracing the coming era of robotics and space. By taking the battles into space, ROBO-ONE hopes to fuel dreams and create an environment that inspires people to become engineers.

ROBO-ONE in space

The tentative date for the first space competition is October 10, 2010 (10/10/10), but a number of variables -- such as obtaining international approval for the use of radio frequencies, the satellite launch schedules, etc. -- make it difficult to set a firm date. Organizers are shooting for an actual date somewhere between 2010 and 2015.

Battles will be conducted in the space surrounding the ROBO-ONE satellite, which will be in a polar orbit at an altitude of 400 to 600 km. Tokyo will have 10-minute windows of communication with the satellite 4 times per day as it passes overhead. Battles will be conducted during these 10-minute periods. The satellite will be launched as a "piggyback satellite" (a small satellite launched together with a major satellite, using the launcher's surplus payload capacity) and will measure 50 x 50 x 50 cm and weigh less than 50 kg.

The rules of combat will be similar to those in previous competitions, the only difference being the definition of what is considered "out" of the ring. A 5-meter long safety line that connects each robot to the satellite will be outfitted with tension sensors that detect when the line is fully extended (determining that the robot is "out" of the ring). To be eligible for the competition, the biped robots must measure no more than 10 x 10 x 10 cm and must be capable of walking on terra firma. They also must be controllable from the Earth's surface.

Since conditions in space vary greatly from those on Earth, builders will have to consider a range of new issues, such as how to deal with the strains of operating in a vacuum under extreme temperatures and high levels of radiation.

ROBO-ONE's long-term plan is to hold competitions on the surface of the moon, which many believe will not be possible until at least 2030. In the meantime, the group will use the satellite.

(Click the link on this page to see the promo video. WMV file, requires Windows Media Player.)

[Source: ROBO-ONE in the Space, IT Media]

Super-Kamiokande set to resume neutrino detection work

10 Apr 2006

Super-KamiokandeLast week, the University of Tokyo's Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR) announced the near completion of full-scale reconstruction work on its giant Super-Kamiokande underground neutrino detection facility, which was severely damaged in a 2001 accident. Super-Kamiokande, the world?s largest facility of its kind, detects neutrinos as they pass through the 50,000 tons of water held in its cylindrical water tank, which measures 39 meters (128 feet) in diameter and 42 meters (138 feet) in depth and is located 1 km underground. Solar neutrino measurements will resume when the tank is refilled with water at the end of June.

About 7,000 of the facility?s 11,000 neutrino-detecting photomultiplier tubes, which are shaped like 50-centimeter diameter light bulbs, were destroyed in 2001 when a chain reaction of implosions occurred after one of the tubes failed.

(Further reading: Wikipedia, Info About Super-K)

[Source: Mainichi Shimbun]

Countdown begins for space yogurt project

29 Mar 2006

Space yogurtFinal preparations are being made for the launch of a project to develop space yogurt. The plan is a follow-up to the Tosa Space Sake (Tosa Uchu-shu) project, in which a number of Kochi prefecture sake brewers organized a 10-day space journey for a batch of yeast that was later used to produce sake (due to go on sale in Japan on April 1). Himawari Dairy, a Kochi-area dairy manufacturer, has reserved a seat aboard a Soyuz rocket for a payload of lactic acid bacteria that they hope to use to produce the world's first space yogurt after it returns to Earth. "We are deeply interested in seeing how the bacteria will change in space," says Himawari Dairy President Bunjiro Yoshizawa. "We hope it will undergo some interesting changes."

The space yogurt project is the result of cooperation between the key players in the space sake project -- a group of Kochi prefecture business leaders promoting the use of space travel to stimulate the local industry, along with the Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), which handles the logistical affairs. After tasting some success with the promotion of the space sake project, the groups decided to turn their attention to developing space yogurt.

The ingredients to hitch a ride on the Soyuz include Himawari Dairy's unique lactic acid bacteria cultured from pickles preserved in sake lees (sediment that occurs during sake brewing) and lactic acid bacteria used in commercially available yogurt. Live bacteria cultures and dormant freeze-dried bacteria will be on board. The payload also includes a sample of chlorella (green algae) for research purposes, which was provided by the Kochi University School of Agriculture.

On March 22, the ingredients were loaded into special containers in Kochi City and shipped to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After spending about 10 days aboard the Soyuz, which is scheduled to launch March 31, the bacteria will be returned to Himawari Dairy, who will study the mutations and safety of the bacteria before beginning work on yogurt production. They hope to have the world?s first space yogurt on shelves sometime this autumn.

Cosmic radiation is expected to have an effect on the bacteria. "Lactic acid bacteria is delicate, so we are looking forward to seeing what happens," says Yoshizawa. "It will be nice if space travel improves the yogurt's flavor and boosts its immunity-enhancing properties."

[Sources: Kochi News, Mainichi Shimbun]

3D image of Milky Way shows deformed galaxy

28 Mar 2006

Researchers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and Tokyo University have created a three-dimensional image of the Milky Way -- reportedly the first of its kind. The image depicts a disk-shaped galaxy with a large deformity in one area, and it indicates the presence of five spiral arms as opposed to the six commonly believed to exist. The results of the research were presented at a meeting of the Astronomical Society of Japan in Wakayama City on March 28.

3D image of Milky Way

(The area on the bottom-left is deformed. The red area represents neutral hydrogen gas, the green represents hydrogen molecular gas, and the area at bottom is blank due to a lack of data.)

Because interstellar dust interferes with attempts to observe the galaxy?s visible light, the researchers focused on studying radio waves emitted by hydrogen, which is abundant in our galaxy. A variety of existing observation data from radio telescopes in Europe, the Americas, and Australia was collected, and after 6 years of analyzing the quantities and movement of hydrogen gas, an image of the three-dimensional structure of the galaxy emerged.

Gas quantities were calculated from the strength of radio waves emitted by hydrogen gas, and gas locations were obtained from calculations based on the galaxy?s rotational speed. Using the resulting distribution map of gas density, a computer was able to recreate the shape of the galaxy.

"The image can help provide a visual understanding of the cosmos that we live in," says NAOJ Nobeyama Radio Observatory researcher Hiroyuki Nakanishi. "I hope it can play a role in education."

The Milky Way is estimated to be roughly 65,000 light years in radius and 10,000 light years thick.

[Sources: Mainichi Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, NRO press release (with high-resolution images)]

Space-age brewers count down to April product launch

09 Mar 2006

Space sakeFinal preparations are being made for the April 1 launch of Tosa Space Sake, a Japanese rice wine made with a batch of yeast that spent 10 days in space last October aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. At a March 6 press conference held in Kochi city, the labels for the space sake, which will hit shelves across Japan next month, were displayed to the public.

Each of the 17 participating brewers from Kochi prefecture has their own marketing plan. Five of the companies? labels show an image of the earth floating in blue space. Another label was created by Dehara Yukinori, a "figure illustrator" native to Kochi city, whose design features a comical depiction of an astronaut, sake brewer, and farmer. A separate label for the?Tosa Space Sake (Tosa Uchu-shu) logo is also affixed to each bottle.

All that remains now is the final taste check. Then, on April 1, the world's first space sake will take off.

[Source: Kochi Shimbun]

[Further reading: Asahi Shimbun (English)]

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