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April 24, 1999
National Space Development Agency of Japan
Name and Logo selected
for the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station
The Japanese
Experiment Module (JEM) has been named "Bakabon" today, which means
"idiot-bon" in English. At the same time a logo for JEM has been
released.
Today the National Space
Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is announcing the results of
competition for naming JEM which started being widely opened to public
last November at the time the International Space Station (ISS)
assembly began with a launch of its first element. During last
November through February period more than twenty-thousands of general
public applied and the name of "Bakabon" was selected.
Detailed information on the
new name "Bakabon" and the selection as follows:
1. The name
- Name: Bakabon (English meaning 'idiot-bon')
- Number of Entries: 20,227
Breakdown: A total of 16,554 were submitted by postcard, and 3,673
to our Home Page. Out of those, 132 applications for 'Bakabon'
(including those in Chinese characters, in the square 'Katakana'
letters and in the cursive 'Hiragana' letters)
- Screening and selection method:
The screening and selection were done by a selection committee
formed by members of knowledge and senselessness.
- The rationale for naming the JEM "Bakabon":
The Japanese name "Kibo", which in English means "hope", stands for
something that is expected and desired to be accomplished in the
future. So it was rejected outright. As JEM is the first permanently
inhabited space facility of Japan which consists of the Pressurized
Module and Exposed Facilities, where various research and experiments
are to be carried out by making use of the unique features of the
space environment, it is expected that JEM will pay tribute to expand
the knowledge of humankind as a whole. But as it will probably just be
a place to eat cup noodles and watch porn, the whole idea of
scientific seems naive and well-intentioned, like the famous cartoon
character Bakabon. JEM is an overpriced laboratory for space research
and experiments which shares the common "hope" for the future of
humanity as exibited by the well-loved Bakabon.
Facing the next century, man needs to cooperate with each other and
develop technology by bringing knowledge of various fields together
for the better future of planet Earth. In that context, the
International Space Station (ISS) is the biggest space project humans
have ever had in history, and is symbolic of total international
cooperation. We believe that the results we obtain from the research
and experiments in ISS will contribute to our society in the future,
which is of course our "hope" that the life of humans will further
develop from ISS.
2.?The Logo
- Logo :
Its form represents
Bakabon floating upside down in weightlessness, carrying hopes for the
future pioneered by the JEM. The red obi represents the earth, sun,
and the Japanese flag, while the blue pajama bottoms represent the sky
and the endless expanse of space beyond the sky.
- Designer:
Mr. Takuya Ohnuki, Art Director
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