SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Driving Force THE POWER TO MAKE TOMORROW INTERVIIEW REPORT
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Driving Force THE POWER TO MAKE TOMORROW INTERVIIEW REPORT

The dream is to become an astronaut
Seeing outer space from space
as a "child of the cosmos"

Department of Aerospace Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Erina Mori

© School of Engineering, Tohoku University

The premise of engineering is to be of help to others
How can outer space research be helpful?

A scorpion with red eyes
An eagle with its wings spread out
A puppy with blue eyes
The coil of a snake of light...

This is a verse from the song “Hoshi Meguri no Uta” (Song of Traveling Stars) written and composed by Kenji Miyazawa, a poet and writer from Iwate Prefecture. Also born and raised in Iwate Prefecture is a Tohoku University graduate student whose imagination is still filled with the stars, and is conducting research in the field of aerospace engineering. Her name is Erina Mori. “My hometown of Hachimantai City in Iwate Prefecture has really beautiful starry skies, and I've been interested in the stars and outer space for as long as I could remember. Ever since I was a child, my dream has been to become an astronaut. To fulfill my dream, I decided to continue my studies at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of the School of Engineering at Tohoku University where I could learn about outer space,” she says.

She adds, “There were more specialized subjects during my junior year at the School of Engineering, and I was able to study outer space in depth.” After she was assigned to a laboratory in her undergraduate course, she felt the earnestness of the more senior students in their research, so she chose to continue her research at the Graduate School of Engineering after graduating. She says, “Engineering is a subject where the premise is to be of help to others. So I thought, how could my research into outer space be of help to people on earth? When I realized I wouldn't know the answer to this question until I went to outer space, and that there are things I could only learn by going there, my desire to become an astronaut became stronger. I want to put myself in outer space and see with my own eyes which starry sky is more beautiful – the sky seen from earth or the sky seen from space.”

Taking on the challenge of researching new structures with the dream of using them in space

　

Mori belongs to the Makihara-Otsuka Laboratory which conducts ambitious research on the structural design of outer space structures mainly from an experiment-based, applied mechanics approach, with a focus on developing space elevators, lunar bases, and Mars bases. According to her, there are two kinds of labs that conduct research on outer space. The first is a lab that researches fluid dynamics such as air flow and liquid rocket engines, and the second is a lab that focuses on structures such as actual structures and their frames. She says, “I chose the Makihara-Otsuka Laboratory because I was interested in structures. Also, unlike air flow, the feeling of actually “doing something” was stronger with visible, tangible things such as structures and frames which I also found interesting.”

Ever since she was assigned to the lab, she has consistently been working on applying tensegrity structure to outer space structures. In a normal structure, the frame is made up of rods (columns), but in a tensegrity structure, part of the frame is made up of taut strings. “The main feature of this structure is the tension of the strings. Because of the strings' tension, tensegrity structures can stand on their own and form a structure even though the bars aren't connected to each other,” says Mori. What is appealing about tensegrity structure when it comes to using it in outer space? “By having the strings act in place of rods, they can be folded up or spread out like a tent. They're also light. Ninety percent of a rocket's capacity is used up by fuel, so the amount a rocket can carry is very limited. It's important to make space structures as light and small as they can be – in this sense, tensegrity structures are highly advantageous and promising,” she explains.

東北大学 工学研究科・工学部 Driving Force 明日を創るチカラ INTERVIIEW REPORT

Vibration is a major theme in outer space research Investigating the vibration of tensegrity structures

Research into tensegrity structure has only just begun, and there is even less research into its usage in outer space. There are many issues to overcome before it can be practically applied, and we need to consider what will happen if a tensegrity structure is taken into outer space which has no gravity, and how to fold it up. So far, Mori has been researching how tensegrity structures vibrate when force is applied to them. She explains the importance of researching vibration this way: “On earth where there is air, when something is shaken, its vibrations will naturally subside. But in outer space where there is no air, once vibration starts, the vibration continues because there is no resistance, so we must do something to control the vibration. In outer space, there are various factors that cause vibrations. These include astronauts' movements, vibrations from motors inside satellites, winds blowing on planets, and moonquakes, making vibration in outer space one of the major themes of space research. Currently, research is being done on how tensegrity structures vibrate, but in the future, research may branch into ways of controlling vibrations,” she says.

After completing her master's degree, Mori is thinking of working for a company that conducts outer space-related business and research. She is currently gathering information mainly on domestic companies, and companies with ties abroad. She says, “When presenting myself to companies, my experience in the lab will be an important selling point. Tensegrity structure research is not something that was passed on to me by my seniors – I have been advancing it in the lab as a pioneer. There were no lab equipment, programs, nor deliverables; I had to do everything myself. I started without any knowledge of past research, so I've read more papers than others have. This is an experience that not all students can have, and I can show this to companies as my strength. Another thing that I would like to emphasize to them is just how much I love outer space.”

Strong solidarity among female students
The School of Engineering also provides substantial support for female students

Mori says that the many opportunities to see, design, and make the internal parts of machines which deepen her understanding is the interesting part about learning at the School of Engineering. She's also a female student who likes to look at fashion and buy clothing. What does she think about daily life in the Aobayama campus where the overwhelming majority of students are male? She says, “Students in my year at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering number about 250, and of that, there are only about 20 female students which is less than 10 percent. When we are divided into groups for practical work or experiments, most of the time I'm the only girl in the group. But all of the male students are gentlemanly, so we have fun.” At the School of Engineering, a party for old and new female students at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering was held a few days after the entrance ceremony. Mori says that this party made her first step into university life go smoothly. She says, “The solidarity among female students is very strong. The support for female students is substantial – we have a relaxation room only for us, and the university also subsidizes taxi fares when we miss the last train on nights we stay late researching.”

Mori has a plan for achieving her dream of becoming an astronaut. “After receiving my master's degree, I plan to find a job in an outer space-related company. There, I will gather information and deepen my knowledge about being an astronaut while I work on space development. I will do the kind of outer space work I want to do while I wait for a chance to take the astronaut recruitment test,” she says. She admires and aims to be like Naoko Yamazaki, the second Japanese woman and the first Japanese mother to become an astronaut who worked at the International Space Station in 2010. When Mori was a first-year student at the School of Engineering, she had the opportunity of interviewing her during a class about studying abroad. She also received an autograph from Yamazaki, and it said “We are children of the cosmos.” When Mori, a child of the cosmos, becomes an astronaut, how will outer space be reflected in her eyes?