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发表于 2011-11-25 09:32:29
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VOX POPULI: Those who have seen Earth from space appreciate its fragile beauty
Most astronauts appear to have a pleasant disposition. When I look back and remember successive Japanese astronauts, they were all good-humored, at least in front of the camera. I guess that's natural given that they are required to remain calm and be able to control themselves. On top of that, they must be happy that they are actually doing what they had always dreamed of.
Satoshi Furukawa, 47, who returned to the Earth from the International Space Station on Nov. 22, setting the Japanese record for the longest stay in space at 167 days, also kept smiling. The temperature in the snow-covered steppe in Kazakhstan where he landed was minus 20 degrees. Even though he had to be carried in a chair because his muscles had weakened from zero gravity, Furukawa was all smiles.
He must have been exhausted from his first space flight, but he answered questions from reporters with sincerity and frankness."I really feel the gravitational force. Thanks to gravity, I can sit down," he said. "The air is cool and fresh. It is wonderful that there is so much air around me that I can breathe freely."
Furukawa, who is a medical doctor, served as a guinea pig in studying the effects of living in space for a prolonged period. Due to a delay in the arrival of a replacement crew, he happened to break the previous record of 163 days set by Soichi Noguchi, 46. He, too, greeted Furukawa with a smile.
In her book, "Yume o Tsunagu" (Passing On Dreams), retired astronaut Naoko Yamazaki wrote of her space mission: "There is nothing in this world that is useless. Everything has a meaning. No matter what terrible disasters strike people, no matter that hunger, poverty, discrimination and disparities inexorably exist, the world in which we live is beautiful."
Invariably, the numerous space experiences that astronauts recount in Japanese tell us of the preciousness and dearness of the Earth and humans. It appears that part of the thoughtfulness seemingly inherent in those "nice people" is actually something they brought back from space.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 24 |
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