Students strive to show stars to schoolmate

The Yomiuri Shimbun

MITO--Hoping to enable a seriously ill schoolmate in a motorized wheelchair to observe star-studded skies, the members of an earth science club at Ibaraki Prefectural Mito Dai-Ni High School are attempting to make a telescope that can be used by a wheelchair-bound person to study the stars.

Producing such a telescope requires precision work with a margin of error of no more than 0.1 millimeter. Adding to this challenge is the trial-and-error customization of the wheelchair.

First-year student, Tomomi Nakamura, 16, entered the high school, in spring after graduating from a school for the disabled and passing an entrance examination.

The school is located in Mito and noted for its excellent record of students admitted to colleges and universities. Nakamura has progressive spinal muscular atrophy, which results in a gradual weakening of her muscular strength.

Nakamura said she liked admiring the sky at night with a telescope, however, as her disease has advanced since she was in the lower grades of primary school, it has become more difficult to do so.

On learning this, Norio Okamura, 48, a teacher and the club's adviser, and members of the club decided to produce the telescope.

The school's earth science club has previously produced four telescopes, including a reproduction of a telescope used by a British astronomer in the 18th century.

This attracted attention when it was announced during an International Astronomical Union meeting held in the Czech Republic in August 2006.

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Associate Professor Junichi Watanabe, who specializes in planetary science, gave his stamp of approval to the students' endeavors, saying, "For high school students, the level of precision of Mito Dai- NiHigh School's astronomical telescope is of the top level in the world."

The telescope to be used on the wheelchair has an aperture of 400 millimeters. The main body of the telescope will be made of wood and aluminum, with a length of about 1.5 meters, and a weight of about 50 kilograms. Including the pedestal, the entire apparatus will weigh 150 kilograms.

To make it possible for observations to be made while seated, the members are making the telescope in accordance with Nakamura's level of sight and will also create an eye piece at a spot 93 centimeters from the end of the telescope on the side of the main body.

For that reason, three reflectors are required, instead of the usual two, resulting in members having to figure out new construction methods, including beefing up the pedestal and base.

Second-year students are responsible for design, while first-year students are in charge of production.

With the goal of "Showing Tomomi the beautiful rings of Saturn," the students immerse themselves in the production after lessons, while receiving advice from their seniors.

"The wheelchair is not a handicap," Okumura said, citing the example of famous physicist Stephen Hawking, who is wheelchair-bound. "The students will develop [as people] if we can give them an opportunity. I also want Ms. Nakamura to discover her own potential," Okamura added.

The telescope is expected to be completed by March.

The members want to enable Nakamura and other wheelchair-bound children to enjoy the starry sky at the school for the disabled.