There was a planetarium near the house where I grew up. My mother used to take me and my brother there on weekends when it was raining. So I was friends with the starry sky from an early age, even though there were too many artificial lights in my hometown to see the real stars very well. When I was 10 years old, Hayabusa, which is a spacecraft developed in Japan, overcame many crises and returned to our Earth using all possible means. This fact moved me. At that time, I felt that whole Japan was excited, even though I was a small child. This was the first moment I knew I wanted to be a space engineer.
As I grew up, however, I learned that some people oppose space exploration. As you are well aware, satellites play an active and helpful role in predicting the weather and providing accurate directions via smartphones. But it is especially difficult to explain the societal benefits of scientific exploration projects. I have thought about this for a long time. The answer, as I see it, is as follows. Scientific explorations stimulate our intellectual curiosity and are a huge driving force for human development. Thus, I have decided to do my part to reach many people that excitement.
Now that we are once again trying to reach and stand on the Moon, the information obtained through scientific exploration will directly benefit us in the near future. Now is the greatest opportunity to connect people’s hearts with the universe. That is the reason why I have an enthusiastic energy for my work. My field of study is about lunar exploration rovers. A rover is like a small car that drives around and explores the moon or other planets. I am developing a system for rovers to drive more accurately so that they can obtain important information from the lunar surface and help astronauts in their work. My dream is to see a rover implemented this system running on the moon and making us curious.
Of course, I do not believe that my ideas are perfect. I am still thinking about the reasons for our space exploration. There is one thing I can say with certainty. Space technology must not be used as a weapon. I believe that the technology needed for space exploration is the integration and evolution of all technologies on Earth. It is the property of our planet. Therefore, space technology should be used to make our Earth happy.