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3 June 2003

NASDA Report

No.131 2003 MAY.

Part 1 of 3

C O N T E N T S

* Participation in the 3rd World Water Forum
* Cosmic College Attended by Many Students
* Front Line of Advanced and Common Technology Research 13
* Let Us Talk to Space Challengers


Participation in the 3rd World Water Forum

With Crown Prince Naruhito in attendance, 23,995 participants
gathered at the international water meeting. 

The 3rd World Water Forum was held in the three neighboring Japanese
cities of Kyoto, Shiga and Osaka from March 16 to 23, 2003. The
National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) held a session
entitled "Observing Global Precipitation From Space" in order to
demonstrate the important role of satellites in observing global
water circulation.


World Water Forum

The World Water Council (WWC) was established in 1996 at the
initiative of water specialists, the academic community and
international organizations. The WWC proposed to hold the World Water
Forum every three years in an effort to solve international water
issues. This year marks the third forum. 

Along with 331 separate sessions on thirty-one interrelated themes in
three venues, the forum held a Ministerial Conference during the last
two days that included participation of 101 countries and nine
international organizations. In addition, Nihon Keizai Shinbun
organized the Water EXPO in Intex Osaka as an exhibition for the
general public. 


Participation of NASDA in the World Water Forum

NASDA held a session of "Observing Global Precipitation From Space",
under the theme of Water and Information at Osaka venue on March 19.
With speeches by representatives from NASA, ESA, National Remote
Sensing Center of China, World Climate Research Programme,
International Flood network (IFNet) and CEOS WGISS, NASDA proposed
implementation of the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) and sharing
of its observation data. The session attracted some 150 visitors and
contributed to promoting a better understanding of the importance of
satellite-base Earth observation in the international community. 

NASDA also exhibited panels during the forum held at the Kyoto
International Conference Hall, which attracted many concerned
parties. 

The Water EXPO was organized for the general public. A total of
98,417 people visited the exhibition, many of whom also stopped by
NASDA's booth.


Results from Participation in the World Water Forum

NASDA decided to implement the GPM and join the Integrated Global
Observing Strategy (IGOS) Partnership in order to promote research on
changes in global water circulation and water management. NASDA
worked with IFNet to provide the exhibition and presentation at the
forum, and continues to support IFNet's "Global Flood Warning System"
project. 

The World Water Forum provided a valuable opportunity for NASDA to
educate participants about a close relationship between the agency's
activity and international water issues, as well as what observation
mission can be expected to solve various water issues. 

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Cosmic College Attended by Many Students

Some 220 students gathered for its fundamental course held at
Tsukuba, Tanegashima, Tomakomai, Osaka and Hiroshima venues. 

Learn about Space and Earth Together

NASDA has established the fundamental course of the cosmic college
since spring of 1997. The course is designed for children who wish to
become involved in the space field someday. 

Participating elementary and junior high school students learn what
space looks like, what kind of star the Earth is and what astronauts
will experience in the Space Shuttle through experiments and lectures
offered by teachers in a state-of-art space facility.

The fundamental course in spring 2003 was held from March 26 to 29 at
Tsukuba Space Center, Tanegashima Space Center, Tomakomai Science
Center, Osaka Science & Technology Center and Hiroshima City
Children's Museum of Culture and Science. Some 220 youngsters from
the fifth through eighth grades learned together while exchanging
their ideas and opinions.

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Thermal Control System 
- Key Technology for Operating Satellites in Space 

We cannot reduce the temperature of any materials on-board a
satellite using a fan because there is no air in space. For this
reason, thermal control of satellites is an important technical issue
to be solved. In this issue of NASDA Report, we will present research
findings on how to control the temperature of satellite hardware.

Active Thermal Control Required for Satellites in Orbit

A satellite is exposed to extreme severe in space environment. Based
on available data, 

    * Temperatures in the darkest areas of space drop as low as -273
      degrees C (or 3 Kelvin cosmic background radiation)

    * Air cooling and convection cooling by use of a fan are
      impossible in the completely zero-gravity and vacuum space

    * Rises in the satellite temperatures are caused not only by heat
      dissipated from electrically device but also heat radiated from
      the sun and the Earth (for example, the surface temperature of
      an earth-orbiting satellite varies between -150 degrees C and
      +100 degrees C during an orbital period of about 100 minutes.)
 
To achieve the goals of a satellite mission, we must keep the
temperature of onboard equipment and sensors under control so that
they will continue to work properly. In short, thermal control is
critical to ensure that the overall satellite temperature remains
within its range for optimum performance. 

 - Continued -

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