Title:   NSF/Tokyo Report:   The Institute of Space and Astronautical:  An
           Overview
Date:    March 10, 1998
Replaces: None


The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically
report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission.
These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy
makers; they are not statements of NSF policy.

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science: An Overview

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is a central institute
dedicated to space and astronautical science in Japan. ISAS history dates to
the beginning of Japanese space science activity in launch systems and
spacecraft. ISAS conducts space science research by making the maximum use of
its own launch vehicles, scientific satellites, planetary probes, balloons,
and other means.

In the 1950s, small groups at the University of Tokyo initiated studies of
rockets and space science; this was the beginning of Japanese space. These
groups expanded the envelope of their activity and finally successfully
launched the first Japanese satellite, OHSUMI, in 1970. Since then,
twenty-four scientific and engineering spacecraft have been launched and
inserted into various near-earth and interplanetary orbits. This continuous
launch rate enables cutting-edge space science studies in such fields as
astrophysics, solar physics, space plasma physics, and planetary science.

The present ISAS was founded in 1981 by reorganizing the former Institute of
Space and Aeronautical Science of the University of Tokyo, which had been the
core of Japanese space science since 1964. It is a national research institute
directly under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and
Culture. It is one of the inter-university research organizations, and plays a
central role in promoting university-based activities in both space science
and technology.

Graduate education is an additional important part of ISAS. Some ISAS students
belong to the University of Tokyo, where a number of ISAS faculty members have
positions as adjunct professors or associate professors. The remaining
students come from various universities and receive part of their education at
ISAS.

The main campus of ISAS is in Sagamihara about 40 km west of the center of
Tokyo, where the administration, most of the research divisions, and
laboratories are located. Its operational centers, such as rocket-launch
facilities, ground firing test facilities, deep-space ground station, and
ballooning base are distributed among many remote sites in Japan.

Description of Research Divisions

Research Divisions are the main organizational element for research and
development at ISAS. Research Divisions consist of Research Sections, and the
standard composition of a Section is one professor, one associate professor,
and two research associates. There are Research Sections reserved for visiting
professors/associate professors from Japanese research institutes as well as
from abroad.  Various research programs are on-going at ISAS.  Specifically,

High Energy Astrophysics Program-

The High Energy Astrophysics group is engaged primarily in X-ray astrophysics
research over a wide energy range by means of satellite observations.
Virtually all classes of astronomical objects, from degenerate stars (white
dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes) to galaxies at cosmological distances,
and their wide variety of phenomena are being studied by X-rays.

Radio Astronomy-

The radio astronomy group is involved in the Very Long Baseline Interferometry
(VLBI) Space Observatory Program, the world's first dedicated space-VLBI
project, led by ISAS.  In early 1997, the VSOP satellite, MUSES-B, placed an
8-meter diameter radio telescope into an elliptical Earth orbit to make a
synthetic aperture of 30,000 km with ground based telescope arrays.  The
National Observatory of Japan, NASA, and worldwide ground observatories
collaborate on the project.

Basic Science-

To support the space science programs and to help develop future projects,
several sections carry out research in basic science.  The Section of Space
Atomic Physics performs theoretical studies of (1) the elementary processes
(collisional excitation, ionization, reaction, and absorption/emission of
radiation) of atoms, molecules and their ions, and (2) star formation in
molecular clouds, including the evolution of protoplanetary disks.  The
Section of Planetary Atmosphere Physics studies the origin of life in the
solar system.  Their main subject is tRNA, which is considered a crucial clue
to the origin of life.

Space Plasma Physics-

The Space Plasma Physics group is currently engaged in the study of the space
that surrounds the Earth - the magnetosphere.  The magnetosphere receives
energy and momentum from the solar wind and converts energy into various forms
- into high-speed plasma jets known as 'plasmoids' or into energetic
particles.  The primary interest of the group is to clarify the flow of
particles and energy, and energy conversion mechanisms.

Opportunities for US collaboration

US researchers interested in working with counterparts at ISAS can apply for
short (1-8 weeks) or long-term (3-24 month) fellowships sponsored by the Japan
Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).  [For a description of JSPS
Fellowships, see http://www.twics.com/~nsftokyo/fel-new.html.]  Currently, two
US postdoctoral fellows, sponsored by NSF and JSPS, are conducting research at
ISAS.