Japan to send cherry seeds into space

      Japan's famed cherry trees have carried the hearts of a nation for centuries but they will soon enjoy another honour -- their seeds being blasted into outer space.

      The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has approved a project to send the seeds of cherry trees to the Japanese laboratory at the International Space Station, officials said Tuesday.

      Japan Manned Space Systems Corp., a Tokyo-based private-sector consortium of 55 companies, organised the cherry seeds' half-a-year stay in space in part to see whether or how microgravity would affect them.

      "Scientific observation is one reason. But we also want the seeds to travel in space on our behalf as few ordinary people can go now," Manned Space Systems spokeswoman Yuko Otake said.

      Cherry trees' annual springtime blooming is a time for nationwide revelry in Japan, where friends and colleagues hold boisterous picnics to enjoy the short-lived beauty of the blossoms.

      The space project will send lily and violet seeds along with the seeds from 10 cherry trees, including three designated by the government as natural treasures and touted as producing Japan's most beautiful blossoms.

      One of the three ancient trees, named Takizakura, or "cascade cherry blossoms," draws 300,000 viewers for the three weeks it is in bloom in the small northern town of Miharu.

      Elementary school pupils in Miharu will pick some 200 fallen seeds in June or July for the space project. The town will share the returned seeds with research institutions.

      "Since the seeds will be returned with a certificate that they have gone to space, we hope to use them to promote tourism here while drawing children's interest in science," town official Sadafumi Hirata said.

      The town will also plant some seeds, he said. "We are very proud that our tree was selected among many cherry blossoms that represent Japan," he said.

      The seeds will be lifted off into space around October and are expected to return to Earth early next year.

      Japan has an increasingly ambitious space programme and last month began to set up its first space laboratory, which was blasted off on the US space shuttle Endeavour.

      几个世纪以来，樱花一直是日本人的至爱。而日本久负盛名的樱花不久将得到另一份殊荣――它们的种子将被送往太空。

      日本有关官员于本周二称，日本航空航天研究开发所已批准送樱花树种去太空的项目，这批树种将被送往国际空间站的日本实验室。

      “樱花树种太空之旅”为期半年，其目的之一是观测微重力是否会影响以及如何影响这些树种。日本载人航天系统私人企业财团组织此项目，该财团总部位于东京，共由55家公司组成。

      日本载人航天系统财团的女发言人大竹有宏说：“进行科学观测是一个方面，我们还希望这些种子能代表我们去太空旅行，因为目前普通人还无法前往太空。”

      每年春季樱花绽放之时，日本到处都会举行热闹非凡的花见会，朋友、同事们聚在一起，一边野炊，一边欣赏樱花那转瞬即逝的美。

      除10棵樱花树种外，一同被送往太空的还有百合花种和紫罗兰花种。在入选的10棵樱花树中包括被日本政府指定为“国家自然遗产”的三大名樱，据说它们能开出日本最美丽的樱花。

      三大古代名樱之一、日本北部小镇三春的“三春滝樱”盛开三周以来吸引了30万人前来观赏。

      三春镇的小学生们将于今年六、七月份为该项目挑捡出约200颗落下的樱花树种。此外，三春镇还将与研究机构共同分享返回地球的树种。

      三春镇官员平田定文说：“从太空返回地球的种子都将被授予一个证书，我们希望能利用它们来发展当地的旅游业，同时增加孩子们对科学的兴趣。”

      他说，三春镇还将播种其中一些种子。他还说：“我们很自豪我们的树能从那么多樱花树中脱颖而出，代表日本前往太空。”

      这些种子将于10月左右被送往太空，预计明年初返回地球。

      日本在太空探索方面的“野心”越来越大，日本已于上月开始在国际空间站建立其首个太空实验室，该实验室是由美国“奋进号”航天飞机送入太空的。