Coordinated Space Observation and Experiment Research Group

Our group aims at utilizing the Pressurized Vessel and the Exposed Facility of the Japan Experimental Module "Kobo", which comprises the International Space Station. The utilization of the Exposed Facility has already been initiated by the MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) instrument launched in the summer of 2009, followed by a candidate project, EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory), which is currently being developed under an extensive international collaboration. The Pressurized Vessel may be used for a wide variety of biomedical and material-science researches in RIKEN that utilize micro-gravity and high-dose radiation environment.

Research Fields

Physics / Engineering / Chemistry / Materials Sciences / Biology & Biochemistry / Molecular Biology & Genetics / Immunology / Plant & Animal Science / Microbiology / Neuroscience & Behavior / Computer Science / Mathematics / Environment & Ecology / Multidisciplinary / Space Science / Geosciences

Research Subjects

• Operation and data release of the MAXI mission onboard the International Space Station
• JEM-EUSO(Extreme Universe Space Observatory) mission
• Feasibility study of biomedical and material researches using the microgravity environment

Publications

1. Sugizaki, M., Yamaoka, K., Matsuoka, M., Kennea, J. A., Mihara, T. et al.:
   "Spectral Evolution of a New X-ray Transient MAXI J0556-332 Observed by MAXI, Swift, and RXTE",
   Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 65, in press (2013).
2. Serino, M., Mihara, T., Matsuoka, M., Nakahira, S., Sugizaki, M., Ueda, Y., Kawai, N., and Ueno, S.:
   "Superburst with Outburst from EXO 1745-248 in Terzan 5 with MAXI",
   Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 64, Article 91 (2012).
3. Burrows, D. N., Kennea, J. A., Ghisellini, G., Mangano, V., Zhang, B., Page, K. L., Eracleous, M., et al.:
   "Relativistic Jet Activity from the Tidal Disruption of a Star by a Massive Black Hole"
   Nature 476, 462 (2011).
4. Matsuoka, M., Kawasaki, K., Ueno, S., Tomida, H., Kohama, M., Suzuki, M., Adachi, Y., Ishikawa, M., Mihara, T., Sugizaki, M. et al.:
   "The MAXI Mission on the ISS: Science and Instruments for Monitoring All-Sky X-Ray Images."
   Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 61, 999 (2009)
5. M. Casolino, et al., JEM-EUSO COLLABORATION.:
   "Detecting ultra-high energy cosmic rays from space with unprecedented acceptance: objectives and design of the JEM-EUSO mission"
   Astrophys. Space Sci. Trans. 7, 477-482 (2011)
6. M. Casolino, et al., JEM-EUSO COLLABORATION.:
   "The data acquisition and handling system of JEM-EUSO experiment"
   Nucl. Inst. Meth. Phys. A 623, 516-518 (2010)
7. Santangelo, A., Ebisuzaki, T., Takahashi, Y., Kajino, F., Teshima, M., Parizot, E., Casolino, M., & Medina-Tanco, G.:
   "The Science Case of the JEM-EUSO Mission-Unveiling the Universe at ultra-high energies"
   AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1238, 380-387 (2010).
8. Yatagai, F., Honma, M., Ukai, A., Omori, K.,Suzuki, H., Shimazu, T., Takahashi, A., Ohnishi, T., Dohmae, N., & Ishioka, N.:
   "Preliminary results of space experiment: Implications for the effects of space radiation and microgravity on survival and mutation induction in human cells"
   Adv. Space Res. 49, 479-486 (2012)
9. Tomohiro Uemura, Hyeran Kim, Chieko Saito, Kazuo Ebine, Takashi Ueda, Paul Schulze-Lefert, and Akihiko Nakano.:
   "Qa-SNAREs localized to the trans-Golgi network regulate multiple transport pathways and extracellular disease resistance in plants"
   Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 109, 1784-1789 (2012)
10. Chieko Saito, Tomohiro Uemura, Chie Awai, Motoki Tominaga, Kazuo Ebine, Jun Ito, Takashi Ueda, Hiroshi Abe, Miyo Terao Morita, Masao Tasaka, and Akihiko Nakano.:
    "The occurence of bulbs, a complex configuration of the vacuolar membrane, is affected by mutations vacuolar SNARE and phospholipase in Arabidopsis"
    Plant J. 68, 64-73 (2011)

Organization