Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
(1989-) for auroral studies, Yohkoh (1991-2004) for solar X-ray imagings,
and Geotail (1992-) for the first detailed magnetotail survey.
Deep space missions started with “Sakigake” and “Suisei” which went
Comet P/Halley (1985), followed by “Hiten” to the Moon (1990) and
“Nozomi” to the Mars (1998-2003). Unfortunately, the last one could not
be inserted into the Mars orbit, but those heritages have been expanded
to “Hayabusa (Muses-C)” mission to the asteroid Itokawa (2003-), which
arrived at Itokawa in the autumn 2005.
The solar system science program stated in the “JAXA Vision” is based
on those heritage, in order to propose possible next steps in these 20 years.
2. JAXA Vision — JAXA 2025 —
“JAXA Vision” is not an ocially established program, but “a proposal”
to the public, for the provision of a clear picture and an ideal future for
aerospace activities in Japan. The activities in the proposal are not only
limited to the ones inside JAXA but also the ones with various organizations
and academic communities.
“JAXA Vision” consists of five main categories listed below, and the
space science is described in category (2):
(1) Contributing to building a secure and prosperous society.
(2) Contributing to the advancement of knowledge and the expansion of
human frontier: for people's hope and for better future.
(3) Developing indigenous capability to independently carry out space
activities.
(4) Facilitating the growth of space industry: toward self-sustained and
competitive space industry.
(5) Facilitating the growth of aviation industry and breakthroughs for
future air transportation.
They are described on an assumption that the financial resource will be as
“the twice as that in 2004” (as about 4/3 of the one in 1999) to real-
ize the Vision. (The activities which require much resource, e.g., inde-
pendent human space program and reusable vehicles, are not included
in first 10 years. To start these or not will be decided in 2015, 10 years
from now.)
Category (2) of the Vision consists of two medium targets, “Space sci-
ence” and “Lunar utilization”. The former is the result of extensive discus-
sion by young members, not only inside JAXA but also in space science
