INDEX
Space research is a tremendous project
The exhibits at Miraikan are extensive. The 3D movie program “Birthday” is shown in a planetarium-like dome theater, where visitors can learn about the history of the universe from its birth to the present and what the microscopic world is like. It is fun to fly between galaxies, enter the deepest crevices of an apple, and feel as if your size is rapidly changing.
You can see the actual engine used in the H2A rocket and enter a full-scale model of the space station. It’s great. I was back to my childish mind. Space development is not just a fantasy. It is a precious experience that makes you feel as if it were real. The models and explanations about particle accelerators and neutrinos stimulated my intellectual curiosity. The common point between these two is that they are trying to investigate small things that cannot be seen by the eye by building a huge device.
The world’s largest particle accelerator is said to have a circumference about the same as the Yamanote Line. That’s huge! Further investigation revealed that it cost about 1 trillion yen to build, and Japan is also contributing 13.8 billion yen. Japan is also contributing 13.8 billion yen!
First of all, let me say something about the Super-Kamiokande in Gifu Prefecture, which was built to observe neutrinos. The name is too cool! I want to change the artist’s name to Super Nutmegakande. I digress. Super-Kamiokande is located 1,000 meters underground. It is 39 meters in diameter and 41 meters high! It is a cylindrical tank with 13,000 sensors attached to it. What we are trying to know with this device is 0.00000000000000000000000001 cm of neutrino. Huh?” is all I can say.
