Your summer camp starts today? Where are you going again?
The Geological Museum and JAXA! Endou-sensei was the one who proposed it!
Wow, sounds nice. Have enough fun for me, too!
Also, sneak pictures of everyone's sleeping faces!
Look, a rocket!
That's the Expo Center's life-size model.
Do you know this area well?
Yeah.
I lived here in my high school days.
Hey, what's that?
That car's like a robot!
Be quiet! You made me miss our turn!
04. Exciting! Summer Camp!
We're here!
You're restless for once.
I'm not acting any different.
I see rock samples in books all the time, anyway.
Senpai, Senpai, look at this! It's incredible!
What is it?
A molted praying mantis shell!
Oh, how cute!
Ow, ow!
Darn you people!
What did I do?!
Good grief.
Earth Sciences Club Summer Camp
JAXA Space Center
Geological Museum
Botanical Garden
Endou-sensei has a nice proposal for our summer camp.
Want to go to my grandma's place?
Wow, those faces...
Grandma's Place
Geological Museum
Geopark
What I mean is, why don't we use her home
to avoid lodging expenses, and go visit the places nearby?
Places nearby?
Earth Sciences Club Summer Camp
JAXA Space Center
Geological Museum
Geopark
Botanical Garden
There's the JAXA Space Center, the Geological Museum, Geopark, and...
I guess that settles it?
Fascinating Minerals
Wow, there are so many stones!
There are minerals and fossils. It's incredible, isn't it, Sakura-ch—
This is the actual stone used in reference books!
Ino-cha—
I'm having so much fun because Sakura-senpai's enjoying herself so much!
Let's walk at a bit of a distance.
Yeah.
Did you find something interesting?
This one.
Wow, there's sparkly golden dice growing from the rock!
This one's heart-shaped.
I wonder how they end up in such pretty shapes.
It's Yamanashi's prefectural stone?
Yamanashi Prefectural Stone (Mineral)
The stone that represents each region is recognized as that prefecture's stone.
This one's my favorite!
Kyoto Prefectural Stone (Mineral)
Cherry Blossom Stone
Cordierite-Muscovite Pseudomorph
Cherry Blossom Stone?
Yes!
It's Kyoto's stone, and it's a national treasure.
It really does have a pattern like a cherry blossom flower!
It's so cute and rare! It really is a prized flower beyond reach!
It's just like Sakura-senpai, and I love it!
Huh?
The geology group's excitement is incredible.
What are you looking at, Sensei?
Oh, there are so many precious gems!
I wonder how much all of these are worth together...
Money...
Monroe-senpai, what's on display there?
It looks delicious!
Her appetite...
E-Everyone has their own way of enjoying things.
This is incredible.
I don't think I can see everything in a single day!
I wish we could stay here forever.
Mira, did you bring the stone?
Oh, yeah.
Stone?
There's a chance the mudstone Mira picked up
during our riverside barbecue could be a fossil,
so I thought I'd have them appraise it here.
When I tripped, the stone split open.
What is that?! Scary!
Fossil One...
Mira, you tried looking into it on your own, didn't you?
I wasn't totally certain it was a fossil,
so I decided to do some research on my own first.
Fun Fossils
Wow.
This book is easy to understand!
Oh, you're right.
My, that looks fun to read.
A picture book...
So the main factor is whether or not an animal or plant
gets buried in mud or sand quickly after it dies.
If not, it gets eaten by other animals or rots away.
Uh-huh.
Then, after thousands of years of being pressed under the weight of the mud
while minerals seep into it, it becomes a fossil.
In the most recent experiments, they've found fossils that can form in a few weeks.
Meaning... if you buried me right now, you could present me
as a fossil for this year's cultural festival!
Fossilized Mira
That'd be a serious crime.
That's surprising, though.
I can't believe we found a fossil in a river stone.
It's not that uncommon.
There's a chance it could happen anywhere there are sedimentary rocks.
Wow! Did you find all of these, Sakura-chan?
I-I bought all but this one and this one from a science museum.
Sakura-senpai's too honest!
Anyway, there's a chance it could be a fossil that surfaced after thousands of years,
so I want to find out what it might be.
What's with that look?
Come on, it's time!
Hmm...
I picked the stone up by the river.
What section of the river did you pick it up in?
Uh, around here.
Which means...
Um, is this a fossil of a leaf from thousands of years ago?!
Hey, quiet down.
That large black spot might not be a fossil.
Huh?
What?! But Sakura-senpai was so confident when she said—
I said be quiet!
Have you ever heard of a "hidden stone"?
Hidden stone?
Yes, it's also known as dendrite.
Pseudofossil
It forms when manganese flows between rocks and forms a plantlike shape.
It's easy to mistake it for a fossil, so they're often known as pseudofossils.
A false fossil...
Oh, but you know, look here.
Spicules
Fish Scale
This shiny spot, about 3 millimeters wide.
This is from a fish's scale, I think.
Also, it's tiny and hard to see,
but can you see the tiny lines just past the label?
Let's take a look with this.
I see them!
Those are likely the spicules of sea sponges.
It's probably the skeletal structure of a sea creature from the end of the Precambrian Era.
It's very small, but it's a real fossil.
A fossil!
A fossil! A fossil!
Here you go. This explains the geological map of the area where you found the stone.
Thank you!
The names and history of the strata...
Even the commonly found fossils are described in here.
You can view those records online, too. Do you want to see how?
Yeah!
The geology group feel asleep.
There was a lot of information for them.
Sakura-chan was especially excited today.
Yeah, just like a little kid. She was even cuter than usual.
Sakura-senpai!
She's not waking up at all.
You're not a child, so please walk on your own!
Oh, it's Yuki and her students.
Welcome.
It was a long trip, wasn't it?
I'm home.
Thank you for having us.
Mira, that old man's hat...
Thank you for having us.
Huh? JAXA?
Is her grandfather an employee there?
You're welcome.
The logo's shaped a bit different, though.
It's JA's!
The farmers' cooperative!
He's a space-loving farmer.
Please go easy on him.
Requesting information!
We're looking for asteroids
Hello!
We're Hoshizaki High School's earth sciences club!
What's that?
W-We're searching for an asteroid.
A strategy those two came up with before our summer camp.
We're Hoshizaki High School's earth sciences club!
Doing that at the space center just makes it look like they're fooling around.
Oh, but someone's talking to them.
We got candy!
Sorry for the wait.
So, to take the observation tour, we need to meet up at...
Grandpa Missed Call Grandpa Missed Call Grandpa Missed Call Grandpa Missed Call Grandpa Missed Call
Grandpa...
Your grandfather looked like he really wanted to come.
Are you sure we shouldn't have brought him?
Huh?
Oh, it's fine, it's fine.
This is your summer camp, after all.
A rocket!
What you saw yesterday was a model,
but this is a real rocket, even on the inside.
A real one?!
I want to touch it!
Hey, Monroe, your astronomy group is getting carried away.
As our president, you need to watch... them...
I can't reach it!
Space is so far away!
They all get along so well.
Yeah.
This is incredible, Ao!
It's a space center!
Maybe we'll find a hint to discovering our asteroid!
Yeah.
Are you two interested in asteroids?
Come on, Sensei! We told you about it the day we joined this club!
Huh? Oh, you did?
Senpai, let's take a commemorative photo!
I see.
Thank you all for participating in the observation tour.
Let's get started by watching this introduction video.
This is the place closest to space in all of Japan.
Welcome to the space center.
Here we'll introduce JAXA's various projects.
Space is incredible! Mankind is incredible!
Huh? Mira-chan?
I don't think that video was meant to be cried over...
Getting older sucks.
Are we the minority here?
Now I'll show you all to the astronaut training wing.
Normally, only staff are allowed into this area,
Monroe-senpai's looking more serious than usual.
so please attach the passes I gave you somewhere visible.
Well, I'm sure she has a lot of thoughts running through her mind.
She's always wanted to come here.
She has?
The space suits here weigh roughly 120 kilograms.
They include life support, oxygen, and batteries.
Also, when they're working outside the ship...
On the other side of this window is the closed-environment training facility.
The previous exams narrowed our 963 applicants down to the ten
who are taking their tests in here.
Um, what does it take to become an astronaut?
Well, first, you have to be healthy,
and also proficient in English.
And above all else, you need to be cooperative.
That's said to be the most important part.
Thank you.
No problem.
Over here, we place astronauts in low-pressure environments to measure
You heard her.
Sakura-chan.
Thank you very much.
how low oxygen supplies will affect their bodies and conduct other training regimes.
You'll need to work more on your pronunciation.
We should try asking her about asteroids, too!
Asteroids?
Yeah!
We were hoping for a hint on how to discover one.
I'm just a tour guide, so I don't know very much about that...
but one of the exhibit hall's commentators might know something.
I see.
I'm sorry.
It's okay. Thank you for the advice.
All right! The enemy waits in the exhibit hall!
Let's go, Ao!
Yeah!
It's a manmade satellite!
It's an exhibit about the Hayabusa.
I'm sure someone here...
U-Um, excuse me!
You want to discover an asteroid?
D-Do you have any hints for us?
Any hints, eh?
Or do you know anyone who might be an expert in that field?
Well, this center is focused on space development,
so while we have some exhibits on the discovery of asteroids,
we don't know much about discovering new astronomical objects.
There might be a specialist in one of our other centers elsewhere in the country, but...
I see.
Thank you.
Not at all.
Thank you very much!
I couldn't find any clues.
Ao...
Me, neither. But I learned a lot today, and I did find out some things.
For example,
if we try each of the centers throughout Japan, we'll eventually meet an expert on it!
You're too optimistic.
Sakura-chan, thanks for your help.
Honestly, I couldn't just watch you girls...
And you should be helping, too!
Yay!
Where's your cooperation?!
Sensei, we're finished looking around!
Oh, good to hear.
Look, space meals!
They sell all different kinds!
A replica space suit!
Sensei, what did you buy?
That's what I want to ask!
Well, we should be heading back.
Where's Monroe?
She went to use the restroom.
You sure took a long time.
What's that look for?
Space is so far away!
Huh?
Oh, welcome home.
Everything's ready for the barbecue.
Wow! It's like a festival!
I put some effort into it, since I had a lot of free time.
Oh, jeez...
I'm sorry I didn't bring you with us, okay?
You can have this as an apology.
Y-Yuki!
I guess tonight's a full moon.
Yeah, it is. That makes it harder to see the stars.
Nights like that are good for viewing the moon, though.
Shall I break out the telescope, then?
Can you students help me with that?
Sure!
Oh, it has an equatorial mount.
It has different parts than the one our club uses.
The mount on ours is an alt-azimuth mount that moves the telescope vertically and horizontally.
This one uses an equatorial mount that moves in time with the earth's rotation.
Once you move the handle on an equatorial mount,
it'll keep following that star forever, so it's much easier!
Yay!
I want to see, too!
I thought the moon was more bumpy.
It's surprisingly flat.
Oh, that's because light from the sun reflects off the surface during the full moon,
so it's harder to see the bumps from the craters.
By the way, the bright part with lots of craters is mostly anorthosite,
and the dark parts are made of basalt.
Wow, really?
Oh, she's a little relieved.
You studied up on it, didn't you?
You should all study up on rocks a bit more!
You're taking it out on us?!
Hey, we have a watermelon!
Watermelon?!
Oh, right. Here's what you asked us to look for, Yuki.
Oh, you found it? Thanks.
An old flyer?
For high schoolers... An astronomical object discovery program?
Shining Star Challenge
Recruiting Now
Huh? What is this?!
It's the Shining Star Challenge program held at the observatory during summer break.
I participated in it myself back in the day.
I couldn't find anything, though.
Wh-Wh-Why would you keep such incredible information a secret?!
Well, because I didn't know about your dream.
Huh? But when we first joined the club...
Sorry. I was sleeping in the next room over.
You slept through it...
Oh, the deadline for entering this year has already passed.
New Astronomical Object Discovery Program for High Schoolers Shining Star Challenge
Applications for this event are closed.
Add to list
If only we had known about this sooner!
It's held on Ishigaki Island.
You're mad, aren't you?!
Okinawa?! That's great!
Ishigaki Island...
Okinawa...
Blue seas...
Mira?
The Shining Star Challenge.
It's open to all high schoolers in the nation.
Seven participants are selected based on their submitted assignment.
It's hard to get in, and there's no guarantee we'll discover one, huh?
But I still feel
like we're a step or two closer to our goal.
Yeah.
This might be a huge leap forward for us.
Yeah!
This brings back memories.
Your eyes sparkled just like theirs
when you came home from Ishigaki Island.
Touring JAXA, having a barbecue, viewing the stars...
and ending with fireworks.
We've been going all-out.
I never expected Endou-sensei to be someone who hunted for new asteroids, though.
I never knew that, either.
My heart's been racing all day long.
I guess this means the astronomy group's gotten closer to their goals.
Goals?
I want to become an astronaut.
An astronaut?!
Really?!
Yeah.
So that's why you were acting so serious today.
It's such a big dream, it's really a bit embarrassing.
You shouldn't call it embarrassing.
Not if you're serious about pursuing it.
I still haven't found any solid goal to pursue, so if you ask me,
you're all amazing for having one.
You shouldn't hold back in pursuit of your dreams.
Sakura-chan, thank you.
Hmph.
Uh, meaning...
You're not mad at us?
Huh? I'm giving you lots of encouragement.
I-It was hard to tell...
Don't hold back on your dreams...
I think I might have figured out what I want to do.
The truth is, there's somewhere I'd like to go, too!
This is the headquarters of map-making, the Geospatial Informational Authority of Japan!
I didn't know Inose was into this field.
I know this is a change of plans. Are you all okay with this?
I don't mind at all.
Besides...
I don't think anyone can complain when they see that look on her face.
Tsukuba VLBI Antenna
No wonder it felt a little lonesome.
What's the matter, Sensei?
Hmm? Oh, there used to be this huge parabolic antenna around there.
Sensei!
We found the antenna!
I think I've gone from feeling nostalgic to feeling happy.
We managed to discover new sides to our clubmates at this summer camp.
We learned so much during our tours, too,
and it feels like the world's opened up for everyone.
Before, our goal of discovering an asteroid felt vague...
But I'm sure there's a star out there
just like the tiny fossil I discovered by the riverside.
Somewhere out there in space.
05. Everyone's Summer Break
Next time, "Everyone's Summer Break."