Let me continue talking about this space Institute JAXA. As my major is law, my explanation might be insufficient, but I think most people don't know much about the details of space exploration, so explaining some of the exhibits from a viewpoint of an amateur wouldn't be so bad, I guess.
JAXA was launched in '03, but before that this agency was called NASDA. You would easily associate NASDA with space, as it is very similar to NASA, but having an entirely different name seemed to me better.
This is called an satellite ETS-1 or "Kiku" "Kiku" means chrysanthemum, and it is the symbol of our royal family. This satellite was put into space in order to test the ability of our first rocket N-1. And it was the first satellite launched by JAXA.
Let me show you another satellite called EGS, or "Ajisai". Its meaning is hydrangea. This was put into orbit in '86 from an island Tanegashima off Kyushu Island. It has 318 mirrors and they take advantage of the reflection of the sun to decide the locations of islands on the earth.
And this is the replica of the Japanese experimental module "Kibo". You can get inside to see what kinds of experiment could be done inside.
There are many racks and most of them are meant for biological experiments. For example, there is a rack in which "Aquatic Animal Experiment" can be done.
Kibo was launched into space in June '06, and as I said before this module is now docked to ISS. Upon looking at this model, I wondered what it would be like to be in this tiny room for a long time.
As you can see these are space drinks. I just thought they had a bit too little as I usually gulp down lots of coffee at a time.
Japanese astronauts would need Japanese food also in space. From left to right: "Inari", "Soba", and "Udon". As you know, "Soba" and "Udon" are Japanese noodles, but "Inari" is a kind of sweet sushi that is wrapped by a sheet of fried tofu.
You know, Japan lags behind some countries when it comes to space exploration, but after looking at those exhibits, I couldn't help but think that Japan has been trying tooth and nail to catch up with those countries. And I had an impression that JAXA has its own way of inventing things.
