E. Hirohama - APRSAF

Recent Activities onSpace Education in JapanSpace Education Awareness Working GroupAPRSAF-17November 23-24, 24, 2010Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaEijiro HirohamaSpace Education CenterJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)1

PRINCIPLESUsing the attractive space materials,we can1. Stimulate the curiosity of children,cultivate their challenging spirit, andinflame their passion to pursue craftsmanship.→ “Spirit of Never Give-Up”2. Heighten the children’s awareness of theimportance of life and their responsibilities in thesociety.→ “Preciousness of Life”Space Education Center2

Main Activity AreasF o r m a lEducationS u p p o r tInformalEducationS u p p o r tH o m eEducationS u p p o r tInternationalCooperation3

FORMAL EDUCATION SUPPORT OBJECTIVE: To support create unique school activities that can ignitethe flame of children’s curiosity and interest using space materials‣ Supporting to teachers to make school teaching easy to understand‣ Supporting to teachers seminars organized by education boards‣ Providing space materials and JAXA specialists to school▲ In collaboration w/Cosmic Ray ResearchInstitute/Tokyo Univ.Space Education Center▲ In the “Japanese”Language class▲ Supporting the class onEnvironmental studies▲ Space foods producedby high-school students4

INFORMAL EDUCATION SUPPORT‣FOR CHILDREN:Provide primary & secondary school children with opportunitiesto experience space-related activities thru. unique JAXA programs‣FOR ADULTS:Provide training and support for instructors and leaders to carryout space education activities, to enhance local communityenvironment for childrenSpace Education Center5

Home Education Support: Space Educationfor Parents and Children BENEFITS ACHIEVED:Enhanced interest of the parents in education;(Joy of learning together with their children.)SchoolingEveryday Learningat each homeSpace materials for educationFinding space in everyday lifeSpace Education CenterPresentations &Graduation ceremonyFinal reports on experimentsat home6

Achievements: from FY 2005 to FY 2009 Formal Education Support:‣ from 20 schools (1543 students) to 67 schools (4240 students) Informal Education Support:‣ from 18 events (1273 children) to 145 events (10274 children) Leaders Training:160140120‣ from 9 sessions (562 individuals) to 55 sessions (2047 individuals)100806040School SupportCosmic CollegeLeader Seminar200FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009FY in Japan = from 1 April to 31 MarchSpace Education Center7

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES‣ Focus on primary and secondary school teachers and children‣ Support education initiatives taken within the framework ofAsia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF)‣ Support developing countries in other regions through initiatives byUNESCO and other UN entities and development agencies, e.g. JICA‣ Maintain cooperation with space-faring nations in space educationthrough International Space Education Board (ISEB, foundingmembers; NASA, ESA, CSA, JAXA)‣Contribute to send Japanese students to ISU every yearSpace Education Center8

Supporting Water Rocket Activitiesaround the WorldHolding joint seminars and sending water rocket tools and manualsin English or SpanishSpace Education Center9

Current Space Educational ProductsDVDs・ ISS On-orbit Experiments byJapanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata- Action-Reaction Lawfor Physics of Secondary School・ Three education DVDs to be producedusing images of Astronaut Soichi NoguchiSchool textbooksJapanese school textbook companies willput many photos of activities of space,especially for astronauts in the newschool textbooks.JAXA actively support the textbookcompanies to use space materials to theirtext book.Space Education Center

May 2003 ---- June 2010HayabusaWoomera, Australia880,000 messagesRetrieval of CapsuleTo inspire childrenthrough space missionslike Hayabusa

JAXA IYA EVENTTOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, 22 JULY 2009SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL EVENTS~ For children to share and enjoy a rare natural phenomenon ~Live transmission of solar eclipse images‣ Using JAXA’s Communications Satellite, “KIZUNA” (or “WINDS”, WidebandInterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite)‣ Real‐time transmission from the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands to the mainlandAt Tamarokuto Museumwith 1,300 studentsCollection of photographs of the streaming sunbeams throughthe leaves during the total or partial solar eclipse‣ 296 photographs sent to JAXA (13 from outside Japan)‣ Photos on JAXA web site‣ JAXA web access:6,923 hits recordedSpace Education CenterOgasawara Elementary School,with 47 studentsTime series photo images of streaming sunbeams12

New Astronomical Event Campaign for 2010Total Lunar Eclipse on Dec.21Akatsuki Venus ExplorerArrival at Venus Orbit on Dec.7Space Education Center13