If you go into space, you'll have to take Planet Earth's environment with you. We cannot live or move about in space unless we take everything with us, especially life-support systems to provide air and water, shielding apparatus to protect us from cosmic rays, communication equipment to let us remain in contact with the Earth, and a strong source of energy to operate all these devices. Space flight is a very daring enterprise and is only possible if we have the technology and expertise to back it up. Of course, this is true for any development project in space.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States uses the world's most advanced industrial technologies. It chooses technologies that are highly effective and as safe as possible. It doesn't matter where the technology was developed — what is important is that it is superior to any other. Superior techniques have no national boundaries.

NASA uses many products and components made by Japanese companies, and Japan has achieved other developments that NASA could benefit from — not only new products and components for spacecraft, but even ways to make life in space more comfortable, including better tasting food and improved versions of everyday items. The remarkable Japanese attention to detail offers many benefits.

At the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, we believe it's important to offer young people useful learning opportunities, because they will be the technologists of tomorrow. Our displays give visitors hands-on experience, and this, along with the discussions we have with them, brings them in contact with advanced technology and makes them feel at home with science. At the museum, we help visitors develop abilities they will perhaps use to discover new possibilities for future space projects. Hopefully, the knowledge they gain here will help some of them develop new Japanese technologies that will, some day soon, be applied in space.