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Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency - Education Payload Observation (JAXA-EPO)
08.21.09

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency - Education Payload Observation (JAXA-EPO) aims to excite everyone's interest in microgravity research. Activities will include educational events and artistic activities with astronauts on orbit. These artistic activities will enlighten the general public about microgravity research and human space flight.

Principal Investigator

  • Naoko Matsuo, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tsukuba, Japan

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

    Information Pending

    Payload Developer

    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tsukuba-shi, Japan

    Sponsoring Agency

    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    |16|17|18|19|20|21|22|

    Previous ISS Missions

    • STS123/Shuttle crew Doi conducted the 1st JAXA-EPO experiment (Space Life Experiment and Space Poem Chain).


    • Expedition 17 will conduct the 1st ?Photographing the Moon? and other four art experiments.


    • Expedition 18 will conduct other two art experiments.

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • JAXA EPO includes educational programs, artistic experiments and cultural activities. JAXA implements these activities to enlighten the general public about microgravity utilization and human space flight. JAXA understand that ISS/JEM is useful not only for scientist/engineer but also writer, poet, teacher, artist, etc.


    • JAXA-EPO supports JAXA's goal of finding the trigger to create the new culture.


    • JAXA EPO includes one art experiment ?Photographing the Moon? and one educational program ?Space Life Experiment 2?.


    • The EPO demonstrations will be downlinked, edited, and used to support education resources for educators and to make the art good by the artist.

    Description

    The objective of Education Payload Observation (EPO) investigation is to use EPO materials in the microgravity environment of the ISS to create educational video, multimedia products and artistic goods that inspire the general public. The products will be distributed to the schools or exhibited at the museums. Each ISS Expedition involves different on-orbit activities and themes. The JAXA-EPO activities are as follows:

    • Expedition 16
      • Life in the Universe experiment will investigate the effects of the space environment on board ISS to the flown zooplankton eggs (Daphnia, water flea and Triops, tad pole shrimp) and plant seeds (Ipomoea nil, Japanese Morning Glory; Lotus japonicus, Bird's Foot Lotus; Arabidopsis thaliana, Thale Cress; Helianthus annuus, sunflower). The eggs and seeds remain onboard the ISS inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Photos are taken by the crew to document their conditions. The eggs and seeds are returned to Earth for distribution to schools and museums to enlighten children about science and space.

      • Space Poems Chain will consist of a collection of poems composed by famous poets and the general public, recorded on a DVD, and stored on board ISS in the JEM.

    • Expedition 17
      • Microgravity Clay will show the inspiration of space and the human space flight by Clay figures. Videos and photos are taken by the crewmember to document the experiment. The dried figures are returned to Earth and used as art for a tribute to space flight.

      • Aquasphere aims to record the motion of a water sphere after external oscillations in microgravity environment with a HDTV camera.

      • Ink Ball will record and obtain the ink flow on the water sphere.

      • Art with HDTV will obtain imagery with HDTV. Imagery will be returned to Earth for examination. Investigator will then create an intuitive image of the space environment.

      • Space Clothes will investigate the restriction of movement by clothes and obtain basic data.

    • Expedition 18
      • Educational Experiment is a simple activity based on idea?s from Japanese school children. It will require the ISS crewmember to make a paper airplane on board ISS and record the flight of the paper plane on Station.

    • Expedition 19/20
      • Photographing the Moon will capture various pictures of the Moon from the ISS. Images will be returned to Earth where a musical score will be composed to match the images.

      • Spiral Top aims to record the motion of a spinning top onboard the ISS.

      • Hiten (Dance) will record crewmembers performing ancient east Asian dances in microgravity.

      • Try Zero-G will conduct simple experiments for the Japanese people, especially kids, to show the difference of phenomenon between 0-G and 1-G, for educational purposes.

      • Educational Experiment is a simple activity which will allow the Japanese astronaut to conduct simple activities requested by Japanese children. These ideas enlighten the general public for human space flight.

    • Expedition 21/22
      • Space Poems Chain will consist of a collection of poems composed by famous poets and the general public, recorded on a DVD, and stored on board ISS in the JEM.

      • Educational Experiment is a simple activity which will allow the Japanese astronaut to conduct simple activities requested by Japanese children. These ideas enlighten the general public for human space flight.

      • Dewey?s Forest is intended to show how gravity controls the laws of nature and influences our ways of thinking. The project is a catalyst to rediscover our relationship with plants on the ground and the age old history of our gardens.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    JAXA-EPO introduces the next generation of explorers to the environment of space.

    Earth Applications

    • JAXA would like to realize the concept of ISS/JEM as developing a global citizenry, expanding the future of mankind, and creating new values through JAXA EPO!


    • JAXA EPO encourages the general public for the human space flight by exhibiting the space art at the museum.

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    JAXA-EPO does not require power, telemetry, or specialized hardware. However, each demonstration requires a few hours from crewmembers, who will operate the video/camera equipment.

    Operational Protocols

    After setting up the activity, at least one crewmember will perform the activity while another films it. Each activity will have its own props (e.g., water, clay). The activity is then dismantled and returned to stowage. After the video/imagery are returned to Earth, they will be used to develop teaching guides, project plans, artistic products and educational packages focusing on the physical sciences and technology for distribution to students.

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    Results/More Information

    Information Pending

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    Related Web Sites

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    Publications

    Results Publications

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      Related Publications

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        Images

        imageDaphnia, water flea, right (one of two zooplankton) which can be produced from the plants and eggs used in the Life in the Universe activity for JAXA-EPO. Image courtesy of JAXA.
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        imageAn example of the figures expected from the Microgravity Clay for JAXA-EPO. Image courtesy of JAXA.
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        imageAn example of the type of Spiral Top action that will be recorded onboard the ISS. Image courtesy of JAXA.
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        imageNASA Image: ISS017E011441 - Image of the Moon from ISS, used for inspiration for the musical score for the Photographing the Moon activity.
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        imagePlants grown on Earth in the plant unit which will be used for Dewey's Forest. From left to right: oriental false hawksbeard, carnation, false strawberry and peppermint. Image courtesy of JAXA.
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        Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office
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