Japan in Space: Exploring JAXA's 3 Missions

Before I sleep, I have a habit of reading a bit on Kindle. My true passion is learning about the human body. It's been some time since I read the book ‘Life at the Extremes’ by Frances Ashcroft, where one of the chapters discusses what happens to the human body when going to space and returning to Earth. (As a side note, I totally recommend this book; it's full of fascinating facts). For example, when astronauts go to space, what happens to blood circulation? Considering that Earth has gravity, the blood flows from upper to lower, aka head to legs. However, when it launches to go above, what happens is that blood reverses, it starts to go from legs to the head. The heart gets confused and starts to pump more blood. Just by reading this is super mind-blowing. Moreover, astronauts experience significant bone density and muscle loss in the zero-gravity environment of space. Another challenge they face is sleeping. The lack of gravity means they can't rest their heads on a pillow as we do on Earth. Some astronauts use straps to create a sensation of steadiness while sleeping.

John F. Kennedy, in a renowned speech, emphasized the importance of not only sending astronauts to space but also ensuring their safe return. This aspect is crucial, akin to the critical moments of airplane takeoffs and landings. Astronauts must readapt their bodies to Earth's conditions, including atmospheric pressure, oxygen levels, and gravity, upon their return. This process is as vital as it is complex. So the chapter in the book also discusses how human physiology is affected by prolonged exposure to space conditions and the adaptations or technologies that might be necessary for long-term survival in such an environment.

Truth be told, my knowledge about space was quite limited before I started reading extensively. In school, I learned about Yuri Gagarin, but my curiosity didn't extend much further at that time. However, as I've grown older, I find myself increasingly fascinated by space exploration. So today's newsletter will be all about space. It will also focus on Japan's three significant space missions and their accomplishments over the years.

Many countries, including Japan, have their own aerospace agencies. NASA, based in the United States, is perhaps the most well-known globally. In Japan, the equivalent is JAXA, which stands for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

JAXA began its operations on October 1, 2003. Is 20 years old so still pretty young, I can safely say I’m a ‘senpai’ compare to it haha. It was established through the consolidation of three independent Japanese space and research organizations: the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), and the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL). This unification was designed to streamline and enhance Japan's space exploration initiatives. By combining their resources and expertise, these agencies aimed to boost the efficiency and innovation of Japan's aerospace research and development efforts.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been at the forefront of various significant aerospace discoveries and missions. Here are some of their notable achievements:

Hayabusa Missions: JAXA's Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions are among their most remarkable achievements. In their official page, the explanation starts with this: “Asteroids are thought to be celestial bodies that preserve information from the time of the Solar System's formation. If we collect a sample from an asteroid and bring it back to Earth to carry out precise research on it, we can gain some precious clues to understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System.”
The process of bringing back a piece of an asteroid or another space object is called "Sample Return." Hayabusa was a spacecraft designed to test this kind of mission. It was launched in May 2004 and used Earth's gravity to speed up and reached the asteroid Itokawa in September 2005 after a journey of around 2 billion kilometers. In September and October of that year, "HAYABUSA" studied Itokawa from afar and measured its shape. According to Nasa: Japan's Hayabusa was the first spacecraft to take samples from an asteroid, and was also the first mission to successfully land and take off from an asteroid.
This was the trajectory as shared from the published site as shown on the image below.
The second famous mission developed by JAXA is Kibo Module on the International Space Station (ISS).
Kibo serves as a science laboratory where astronauts conduct various experiments in microgravity. These experiments cover fields like biology, human physiology, physics, and materials science. The unique conditions of space allow researchers to study phenomena that can't be replicated on Earth. The Japanese astronauts DOI Takao, HOSHIDE Akihiko, and WAKATA Koichi participated in the assembly, startup, and testing of Kibo developed by Japan.

The image below is of KIBO Module. Fun fact: Kibo received the Good Design Award 2010 G Mark from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion

In Japan, with a quarter of the population over 65, there's a big focus on staying healthy for as long as possible. In space, where there's no gravity, bones and muscles weaken very quickly - for bones is about 10 times faster than in osteoporosis, and muscles about twice as fast as in bedridden people. Studying these changes in space can help to find ways to prevent and treat conditions like locomotive syndrome, where bones and muscles deteriorate. Also, in space, protein crystals grow better than on Earth because there's no gravity to interfere. These high-quality crystals help to study protein structures more closely, which is important for developing new drugs.
Here are some notable areas where Kibo has made a significant impact:
1. Protein Crystal Growth Experiments: One of the key breakthroughs achieved through experiments in the Kibo module is in the field of protein crystal growth. Microgravity conditions on the ISS allow for the growth of more uniform and well-structured protein crystals than on Earth. This has significant implications for medical research, including drug development and understanding the structure of various proteins related to diseases. If you want to learn what is protein crystal, check this article.
2. Space Medicine: Experiments in Kibo have advanced space medicine by studying how the human body adjusts to prolonged spaceflight, focusing on muscle atrophy, bone density loss, and cardiovascular effects in microgravity, essential for future long-duration missions like those to Mars.
3. Materials Science: Kibo has facilitated innovative experiments to study materials in space, leading to new materials with enhanced properties for use on Earth and future space missions.
4. Earth and Space Observation: Kibo's unique position allows for Earth and space observation, including studying Earth's weather, natural disasters, atmospheric phenomena, and cosmic observations.
5. Biological Experiments: It hosts biological experiments on the impact of microgravity on plants, animals, and microorganisms, offering insights into life sciences and organism survival in space.
For the third mission, I selected the Akatsuki Mission to Venus, offering a unique perspective on other planets. Launched in 2010, Akatsuki aimed to explore Venus' atmosphere, a planet close to Earth in our solar system. Despite early challenges, it entered Venus' orbit in 2015 and has been gathering important data about the planet's climate and atmospheric behavior. Key insights from the mission include:

a. The aim of the mission was to delve into Venus' atmospheric dynamics, cloud physics, surface conditions, weather patterns, and the potential for lightning and volcanic activities. According to their official page : “Exploration of Venus helps us better understand our own planet. Both the Earth and Venus are believed to have been born about 4.6 billion years ago. At the time, there may have been oceans on Venus like that found on the Earth. However, Venus today has no oceans and is covered by dense atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide. Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, so the temperature is higher and more water molecules evaporate into the atmosphere.”
Below is an image showing both planets of Venus and Earth and their position to the Sun.

b. The spacecraft carries advanced instruments like multi-wavelength cameras for studying Venus' clouds and weather, spectrometers for atmospheric analysis, and a camera for detecting lightning and night glow phenomena on Venus. Below is an image of the spacecraft.
c. Since entering Venus' orbit, Akatsuki has revealed new aspects of Venusian meteorology, including discovering a massive atmospheric wave and providing detailed analyses of cloud patterns and movements.
d. Despite initial challenges, Akatsuki's successful study of Venus marks a major accomplishment in planetary exploration, continuously enriching our knowledge of the solar system. For an interactive experience, visit a specific website to view Akatsuki's position and Venus' phases on any given date, like today, December 27, 2023. ( Sorry, I wrote this piece three weeks ago :D)