SPIRAL TOP – II AURORA OVAL (OSAKA, EXPEDITION 27)
Spiral Top – II Aurora Oval aims to record the motion of a
luminous spinning top onboard the ISS.
EARTH BENEFITS
JAXA EPO is an interactive activity to enlighten the
general public about microgravity utilization and human
spaceflight. It also expands to the cultural and social
science area.
SPACE BENEFITS
JAXA EPO attracts attention to Japanese manned
spaceflight activities to gain the support of the Japanese community for future manned space
exploration.
RESULTS
ARTISTIC EXPERIMENTS USING A WATER SPHERE
The resulting spheres formed triangular and hexagonal shapes.
“CHUON” THE SPACE VOICE OF THE OPEN MIND
While everything about the ISS is man-made, an attempt took place to explore the source and
nature of sound which has nurtured human sensitivity by stimulating acoustic sense. It also
attempted to seek what human senses are all about.
Chuon, a 3-dimensional sound-emitting object, was created with the intention of producing
sounds which would move one’s senses and touch one’s heart. Scientists are working with
astronauts to determine how the sound emitted by the object is heard and felt in space.
MARBLING PAINTING ON A WATER BALL (INK BALL)
As all the colors mixed thoroughly, the
spheres eventually turned completely black.
When the water was soaked onto washi, the
colors printed on the washi showed rich and
bright patterns. The result was a new form
of expression in microgravity.
DEWEY’S FOREST
By creating a garden in Kibo, differences in
gardens between space and Earth were
explored. Furthermore, examinations were
made of the feelings of astronauts of having
a garden in space. The space garden was
shaped like a round air ball. Seeds were planted in a cultivation kit. Astronauts watered it every
10 days or so, and cultivation took place over a period of approximately 2 months.
International Space Station crew members gathered in
Kibo to observe the growth of Dewey’s Forest. JAXA
image.International Space Station (ISS) astronaut
conducting the Japanese Powdered Green
Tea in space investigation in the ISS Kibo
module. JAXA image.Yoichiro Kawaguchi,/JAXA