VOX POPULI: After 4 billion km, success just a grain of sand?

"Ishi no Raireki" (The Stones Cry Out), which won writer Hikaru Okuizumi the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, starts with the following memorable sentence: "Even a riverside stone is engraved with the entire history of the universe."

We hardly pay attention to pebbles in everyday life. But in their silence lie stories of eternity that can be picked up by attentive ears.

The solar system came into being approximately 4.6 billion years ago.

The spacecraft Hayabusa was launched seven years ago to collect samples of rock from an asteroid whose form has remained constant since distant time.

The probe is scheduled to return to Earth in a few days. Due to mechanical failures, it appears doubtful that any rock samples were collected. But researchers hope it was at least able to gather a few grains of sand or other substances.

If the mission is successful, it would be a major feat. For all the rockets and astronauts that mankind has launched into space, all we have managed to bring back from the surface of another celestial body so far are moon rocks.

Hayabusa traveled 2 billion kilometers to land on the asteroid Itokawa, whose main axis measures only 500 meters.

The spacecraft encountered many difficulties on its return journey. Malfunctions in the craft's engines and other components occurred one after another, causing its return to be delayed by three years.

With so many malfunctions, it is almost a miracle that it's still flying and will likely complete the 4-billion-kilometer round trip. Even though it is just a piece of machinery, many people are moved by a seemingly courageous effort to make it back to Earth.

Manga artist Machiko Satonaka drew an illustration to cheer for its return. A falcon covered with wounds is straining to fly through space. (Hayabusa is Japanese for falcon.) "I hung in there." "I am coming back soon."

The words in the balloon are so touching that they make us want to cry. The illustration reminds me of the short story "Yodaka no Hoshi" (Star of a nightjar), a masterpiece by Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933).

On the night of June 13, Hayabusa will re-enter the atmosphere in a fiery streak and fade away.

But as the main craft disintegrates, the collection capsule will parachute to the ground. If the capsule contains even a grain of sand, it will tell us much, according to experts.

I wish to wait for the safe arrival of the storyteller from a far distance and time.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 10

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.