EDITORIAL: Space development

The Space Shuttle Discovery's mission carrying Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki symbolizes a new era in space development.

Three of the seven Discovery crew members are women. Another woman is among the six people on an extended stay at the International Space Station (ISS), with which Discovery docked. That means four women are currently in space.

Yamazaki and Soichi Noguchi, who is also staying at the ISS, are the first Japanese to meet in space.

The new situation surrounding space activities no doubt signifies the end of an era.

In the nearly 30 years since the first space shuttle was launched in 1981, the spacecrafts have become old and are due to retire by the end of the year.

Yamazaki is expected to be the last Japanese astronaut to fly aboard a space shuttle.

Starting next year, Russia's Soyuz will be the only spacecraft to carry people to the ISS.

The circumstances surrounding space development are now undergoing drastic changes both domestically and internationally.

This is also the time for Japan to consider from a broad prospective how to advance space development, in particular manned activities, which require huge outlays.

In February, the U.S. administration of Barack Obama made it clear that it would scrap manned lunar probe programs planned under the George W. Bush administration, and will extend ISS operations to 2020 from the previously planned 2015.

The U.S. government also plans to leave the development of the space shuttles' successors to the private sector.

The United States, as the leading player in advanced science and technology, recognizes the importance of space development, but maintains that it should be advanced efficiently because of budgetary constraints. That seems to be the U.S. idea.

With a change of government, Japan, too, is under pressure to rework its strategy for space development.

The space development strategy headquarters set up in the Cabinet Secretariat put together a basic space plan when the Liberal Democratic Party was still in power. It incorporated the development of bipedal robots and plans for manned lunar exploration.

Japan was keeping in step with the U.S. lunar probe project. But the U.S. project fell back, leaving Japan's basic plan up in the air.

Meanwhile, a panel of experts under Seiji Maehara, state minister in charge of space development, started discussions in February on the future of space development.

Space development is a frontier of technology. It is also a forum for international cooperation, as underscored by the participation of the United States, Russia, Europe and Canada in the ISS. Therefore, space development cannot be judged by quick profits alone.

Still, Japan also has budgetary constraints, so funds must be used effectively. Japan should make its presence felt by stressing its strengths further and internationally.

First, Japan must reconfirm the significance of operating Kibo, the Japanese experimental module on the ISS. Japan spends about 40 billion yen ($444 million) a year on the space station.

Does Japan plan to eventually operate a manned flight mission on its own? Or rather, should it spend more energy on robot technology, which is a strength of Japan? The government is urged to work out a firm strategy.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 8