Meikei was among four schools to participate in the EarthKAM project to photograph Earth using a digital camera aboard the space shuttle Endeavor by remote control. For a week in midwinter, eleventh graders take part in a special early-morning training program. The girls practice kendo, while the boys play rugby.

Meikei High School

The school festival, field day, and other big days students look forward to

1 Earth KAM

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) is an educational program sponsored by the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). A digital camera on board the space shuttle Endeavor, whose crew included Japanese astronaut Mamoru Mori, was remote-controlled from Earth to take photographs of the planet.

These photos were then used in science and social studies classes in schools. The National Space Development Agency of Japan invited Japanese schools to participate in the program, and Meikei High School was among the four schools selected.

About 30 students, mainly eighth and ninth grade boys, were involved in the project at Meikei High School. Seventh and eighth graders made a list of the places they wanted to have photographed, and data for each site was analyzed on a computer, such as whether it would lie below the space shuttle's orbit and whether it would show up in a photo with a field of 86 by 130 kilometers (53 by 81 miles). Since photographs of the Earth's terrain can't be taken when it's covered by clouds, the project members checked the weather forecast and contacted UCSD every day during the 11 days that the shuttle was in orbit. Because there's a big time difference between Japan and the U.S. West Coast, where UCSD is located, the students sometimes had to meet at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning.

"I want a satellite photo of my house," one of the students joked. They succeeded in photographing the Izu Peninsula in Japan and the Nile River in Egypt. "The photos are much better than we'd expected," they said, and cheered excitedly at seeing the beautiful images they had taken.


2 Midwinter Training

Shortly before sunrise a February morning, eleventh graders gather at the school, their breath white from the cold. It's the start of a week-long early morning midwinter training, another one of Meikei High School's special events.

 

During this period, the eleventh graders all stay in a dormitory. From 5:30 every morning, the girls practice kendo (Japanese fencing), while the boys practice rugby. In the lit-up gymnasium, barefoot girls in kendo equipment begin running laps inside the gym, shouting "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!" to keep their spirits up.

 
Then, after receiving instructions on basic techniques by their teacher, Mr. Murashima, they begin practicing with alumni and students of nearby Tsukuba University who have come to help. The boys, meanwhile, train outside. Undaunted by the icy grounds, they start off by practicing passes. Then they run around and scrummage in a mock game.
One girl says, "It's cold, it's dark, and it's hard to get out of bed. Once I start exercising, though, it becomes a lot of fun, and I work up a really good sweat." "The ground is frozen, and the air is chilly. I wear three shirts, but there are some who wear five!" says a boy, smiling. Midwinter training is not an easy ordeal, but it gives students a special sense of achievement.
Send your comments and questions here (meikei@jcic.or.jp).