A Goosebump-Inducing Experience Through Space Study Abroad. The Distant Yet Close Universe [Vol. 4: The Story of Mountain Village Study Abroad]

It has been about a year since I moved from Tokyo for the "Space Study Abroad" program, a mountain village study abroad system in Minamitane Town on Tanegashima Island.

Last time, I wrote about things like local communication.

For those interested in Space Study Abroad, there may be many who are children or parents who love space.

Speaking of Tanegashima, it has to be rocket launches.

This time, I will talk about the "life close to space" unique to this island, and on the other hand, the "battle with insects" that troubles us.

These two things, which seem unrelated at first glance, were actually connected in an unexpected way.

A rocket is something you "experience," not just "watch"

The first rocket launch I saw locally was completely different from what I had imagined.

Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle...!!

A deep, low-frequency sound that resonates in the pit of your stomach, which can never be conveyed through television broadcasts.
You can feel the vibrations tingling on your skin.

This is exactly what it means to "get goosebumps."

It's not a roar, but a crackle.

This is exactly it from Space Brothers ↓

The children keep their eyes on the rocket, sometimes stunned and sometimes extremely excited.

Watching them, I think they are experiencing the distant universe and the world inside picture books with their whole bodies.

Tanegashima has the Space Center and the Space Science and Technology Museum, and we have gone there to play countless times.

Furthermore, there are many opportunities to be conscious of rockets and space, such as JAXA events for children and the transportation of rockets and artificial satellites on the island.

The other day, they held a tour for space study abroad students, and we were able to visit places we don't usually get to see.

Since coming to Tanegashima, both my child and I have come to love space.

Being able to feel the distant universe as something tangible and close from a young agemight be a privilege for children living on Tanegashima.

Learning about the distance of space from launch failures

Rocket launches are not "events you can easily watch anytime."

There were three launches this fiscal year, but some were postponed at the last minute due to bad weather or mechanical trouble.

Last October, there was also a problem where the launch was emergency-stopped at '17 seconds before liftoff'.

Here is what it was like on the ground at that time ↓

Even disappointing opportunities are a good chance to learn the reality that 'going to space is so difficult' and 'thousands of adults are making last-minute adjustments'.

You can feel space development firsthand, including not just the glamour of success, but also the failures and postponements.
This is surely the real thrill of mountain village study abroad on Tanegashima.

(There are too many topics about rockets and space, so I think I will write about them another time.)

The terrifying 'earwig invasion' and insights into aerospace engineering

Now, while we feel such cutting-edge science close to us, in our home, we are fighting a more primitive 'enemy'.

Insects.

When considering mountain village study abroad, I think there are people who are anxious about insects, just as they are about work or medical care.

I hear people say you should be careful about centipedes, but fortunately, we haven't had any trouble with them in our home yet.

The only thing that bothered me was the abnormal outbreak of earwigs last summer.

Black shadows invading from window frame gaps, laundry, and every conceivable place...

Both parent and child, who were originally bad with bugs and screamed at first, were grabbing them with tissues and tossing them out in silence after just a few days, haha.

Humans can get used to any environment.

By the way, I thought earwigs only crawled on the ground and didn't fly, but one day I found one flying.
Wondering if they had wings, I looked it up and discovered an interesting fact.

It seems that earwig wings are folded in an extremely complex way and have a structure that allows them to expand to 15 times their size in an instant.

And believe it or not, this expansion technology is being applied in space development for things like solar panel design.

The shock of suddenly seeing an earwig, which I thought was just a nuisance, as a piece of space engineering.

Tanegashima, where even the bugs are connected to space.

By the way, I participated in an event like this the other day ↓

I'm not exactly grateful to the bugs for giving me such learning opportunities, haha.

Even if you get used to them, you still don't want them coming inside your house...

A life full of living knowledge

The vibrations of a rocket, the structure of an earwig's body—these are all "living knowledge" that you cannot understand just by looking at reference books or the internet.

I feel like the children have gained a lot of knowledge and wisdom over this past year.

Well, next year's space study abroad is finally just one month away.
For those planning to come to the island for study abroad, is your moving preparation going well?

Next time, I plan to write about moving and expenses!
A record of the 40-hour forced march from Tokyo to Tanegashima!

If you have any questions, I look forward to your messages via comments or DMs!

I have compiled my past articles into a magazine.