cover image by 橋向 真
Incident Caused by Space Debris
An amusing story has been revealed about Satoshi Furukawa, a member of 'Space X Crew-7' and a Japanese astronaut, who aimed to capture a majestic shot of Mount Fuji but ended up photographing a tool bag floating in space. Last November, a NASA astronaut accidentally dropped a toolbox during an operation outside the ISS, which became space debris orbiting Earth. Coincidentally, Furukawa mistook this tool bag for Mount Fuji and took a photo of it.
This humorous episode was shared with the world during a press conference after Furukawa and his fellow astronauts completed their 197-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS).
Furukawa was eagerly waiting to photograph Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak near Tokyo. However, capturing images from space proved to be more challenging than expected, and even if the target location is reached and visible, things often don't go as planned, as shared in his experience.
Missed Shots Even in Space
Furukawa mentioned, "If there's a bit of cloud or fog, you can't get the shot you want," and the timely incident where the tool bag obscured Mount Fuji highlights the unexpected humor and challenges of life in space.
The story of Furukawa mistakenly photographing space debris teaches us that life in space includes unexpected fun moments. Through such minor incidents, we can sense the special surprises and joys astronauts experience, which are unimaginable to us on Earth.
This episode conveys that even in the professional yet distant life of space, there are enjoyable and unexpected occurrences different from everyday life on Earth.
