Photo/Illutration A replica of ispace Inc.’s lunar lander is shown in Tokyo on April 26, 2023. (The Asahi Shimbun)

“The Eagle has landed.”

With these words, Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), commander of the U.S. spaceflight Apollo 11, confirmed that the Lunar Module Eagle had landed on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.

The landing was very quiet, according to “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” by James R. Hansen.

No space exploration mission can ever be a cinch, but it was apparently like a high-wire act for Apollo 11.

The intended landing area proved to be rocky and seemed unsafe. As Armstrong kept searching for another spot, the lunar module’s fuel gauge continued to dip alarmingly low.

Should the module run out of fuel, there would be no returning to Earth. Alarm lights went on. And when the Eagle finally landed, the fuel tank was only 30 seconds shy of depletion.

The Hakuto-R lunar lander of Japan’s ispace Inc. also encountered a critical fuel shortage as it tried to land on the moon. And unfortunately, it did not end well for this space startup.

The lander apparently crashed, having failed to reduce its speed during its descent to the lunar surface.

But as it had come so close to successfully pulling off the high-wire act, the outcome was just too unfortunate.

I imagined ispace’s staffers had to be hugely disappointed. But what I saw at the news conference on April 26 took me by complete surprise.

Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace, could not have been more positive when he stated, “It’s a significant achievement that we could establish communication with the lunar lander and acquire flight data (immediately before landing).”

The days of nations staking their prestige on developing space programs and competing fiercely are apparently over. I believe we are now in a new historical era of forward-looking private businesses bringing their funds and dreams into space exploration.

Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), author of “Treasure Island,” famously said, “Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.”

He was obviously someone who set his goals very, very high. Like outer space, dreams, too, are infinite.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 27

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

 

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