1555 S. Sasse Rd.
Midland, Michigan
48640-8518 U.S.A.
_{A.D.1995-4-10}

Mr. Daniel S. Goldin, Administrator
NASA Headquarters
Code LEF
Washington, DC
20546 U.S.A.

Dear Mr. Goldin:

“This is about cooperation, not confrontation. Instead of aiming weapons at one another, we can work on peaceful projects to benefit all the people of Earth.” I absolutely agree with what you have said here, and I am completely sure that this is just true and extremely important for us all. I just wanted to tell you this and why I think so. This letter is also to see if you can help me obtain any information on “mental health” in space, which I will explain to you later in this letter.
Your quote above was in USA TODAY newspaper on February 3rd this year as a feedback on U.S. space missions. As you know, it was when the American space shuttle with a Russian cosmonaut aboard was about to perform a rendezvous with the Russian space station (Mir) for the first time since 1975. So far, the only way that I know about you is through this quote and other things mentioned in newspaper and television. If you want to know exactly who is writing this letter to you right now, please see the general information that I have provided at the end. For information on what’s been in that person’s brain lately, I have provided it just below:

[If you are very busy working on positive (of course) things, please read a boldfaced section in the last page of this letter. It is about the information that I would like to have.]

What you have said (the quote) is, I positively believe, the greatest goal for mankind today. Since you said this, I will not explain very deeply, but the last several words especially and definitely make it significant as our goal. I was extremely happy when I read this quote that was by the administrator of NASA. Even before I have found out about the project of rendezvous between American and Russian spacecraft, the necessity of cooperation among all the nations on Earth was constantly in my feeling. This feeling has been growing stronger and stronger in me, and that is why I was so happy to hear what you have said. I do not know how much influence you have on the workers of NASA, but if this is how you are really thinking, my hope is that all of the other people in NASA (and people in other space agencies, and the rest on Earth) will feel the same way because it is our major goal in today’s society.

I have resolved that cooperation is far more efficient than competition. Don’t you think so? Since you think positively toward cooperation, I assume with confidence that you do. [I do not even think I need to explain all these to you since you know them, but I will anyway because this matter is essential especially to many competitive people in the United States.] The reason is simple and logical. Cooperation is constructive, while competition is destructive (mostly). In cooperation, we help each other by sharing each of our expertise, and I do not see a single thing that may be negative if everyone is really cooperating. In competition, however, opponents never help each other, and furthermore, they sometimes destroy each other.

Competitors also consider “victory” as their purpose of what they’re doing and forget the real purpose, which is extremely pathetic. “Purpose” is undoubtedly the most important matter whenever we do something (because we do something to fulfill our purpose, of course). “Victory” is obviously far less important than, say, our actual benefits from space exploration, and so it should definitely not be a purpose.

It seems to me that “victory” was one of the primary goals during the Project Apollo (almost sure but not completely, because I was not living at that time), and now you and I hear many people wanting to avoid Apollo-like program. There are tons of situations in the past where cooperation should have been chosen instead of competing, and I consider the Apollo Project as one of good and the most recent examples. Many people say that its purpose was to raise the dignity of the country through victory of the space race. Many (not all) people in the United States wanted to be proud of their country--a form of nationalism. This was not very good already because they did not know or had forgotten the true purpose of space exploration. Moreover, concerning too much about their pride in their nation (and only negative impressions on Russians) had made many people so narrow-minded that they forgot to ask themselves important questions like “Why am I wishing for Russians to fail? Isn’t this extremely childish that we just want to win and not care about others?” and “Is space exploration something only for people living in America to enjoy?”

As you probably know, the concept of hubris is dealt as a major theme in some of great literatures such as Greek mythology and Bible. These stress that excessive pride always leads to narrow-mindedness and end up in a downfall. I do believe in this pattern from my experience with egoistic individuals around me. The Moon landing was a great accomplishment physically, but I highly doubt that America’s earlier projects (Mercury~Apollo) were a success overall for most people--with an exception of a few people who truly understood the actual purpose of space exploration. These projects has very unfortunately inspired Americans to have even more sense of competition and nationalism after wars and to follow the pattern of hubris. The projects failed to fulfill the most important factor, the real purpose of the exploration.

You must know far a lot more than me about social situations during the space race. What I have written in the last two paragraphs are just how I feel, and I’m not even completely sure about it. Please let me know of any part that is definitely irrelevant. I only wanted to show that competition is destructive and often shifts the goal from the real purpose, and I do believe this is true. A lot of Americans now, especially those who lived through the World War or the space race, are probably too competitive to effectively cooperate with other country. I have been writing only about Americans, but I imagine that many Russians have followed the similar pattern in the race. After having lived both in Japan and U.S.A., however, I have noticed that many Americans tend to put things into competitions and have pride in their country at least more than Japanese do. In order to change this feeling that seems to be implanted in people’s mind during wars and races, ones with good understanding on cooperation must first work with each other to show others that collaboration is perfectly efficient.

Someone said to me that by working with Russians in space exploration, the United States might even have to spend more money. I assume some other people in the United States feel the same way. This thought is very self-centered. Yes America may have to spend more at first, but the purpose for international projects are not to benefit Americans but to benefit all the people (and other animals) of Earth, as you said.

I strongly think NASA should change its goal slightly. I read in a book that the goal was to strengthen American technological capability for the United States to remain at the forefront of technology. Even though NASA is an agency of the United States, I do not see why the United States want to remain at the forefront. There is a little bit of competitiveness and pride. It is very good that this nation improves its technological capability to benefit all of our lives, but it is also very good that other nations improve their technology for the same reason. There is no problem if their capability exceeds that of the United States as long as that technology is used peacefully.

I think all the nations on Earth should politically, economically, and socially unite because too many of our problems are among nations. I know there will still be divisions, but I do not see very many conflict among divisions within a nation today. However, this unification will be very difficult. I think the best approach of nations is through collaboration in “space” where there has not been any national border.

If we cooperate, we will unquestionably be more efficient since cooperation is constructive. Efficiency is extremely important right now, at least in the United States because of the current financial situation. What happened to the proposal of $8 billion cut in NASA’s budget? I hope it has not been forwarded because it will probably have a very unfavorable influence on the international space station Alpha and the docking projects between Russia and U.S.A.

I constantly feel that many nations on Earth are spending extra amounts of work and money in military affairs. Problems, especially between advanced nations are not to be settled using violence since human beings have high intelligence.

In the beginning of space age, we all should be very anxious to seek any possible benefits we can get from the new region called space. There certainly must be something wrong that we have a budget-cut in space program at this time. I think this is a result of today’s social ignorance and political indifference toward space exploration.

Although I have been very excited about recent space shuttle missions that have included curious observations by ultraviolet telescopes and collaboration with Russians, I am extremely disappointed that I saw very little about it in television and that no one in my school (not even teachers) talked about it. I really feel the need of people today to understand the purpose of space exploration and how beneficial it has been and will be to our lives. People may learn it through education in schools and media like television that teach this even if they are not particularly interested in space. Public interest in space exploration will probably make government work harder on that area.

Thank you so far for reading all there issues that you probably have couple thousand times more understanding of. Now I will tell you something you do not know.

My goal may be unique...I don’t know. My goal is to go into a black hole, when I am almost ready to die. I think the probability of dying when I get into the black hole is nearly 100%. I also think that the possibility for me to achieve this goal is extremely close to 0. However, I believe that it is not 0, so I have set this to be my major goal. Upon reaching this, I have several minor goals that are also extremely difficult to realize. I am going to go to a good college, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in order to study astrophysics. Then, I am going to join in a space agency, hopefully international, but if there is no such organization by that time, I will first be in NASA and try to create an international space agency where all the nations help to efficiently explore space. I will explore planets and their satellite, asteroids, and comets. By utilizing the various environment of these bodies, I will conduct astrophysical experiments and observations in order to make my life more exciting and to help other living things have better life through the result of my experiments. I may devise theories like “Principle of constancy of light velocity is not true” and “Wormholes do not exist”, and hopefully prove them or prove that my theories are wrong with my research. Finally, I will head to a black hole in some way (maybe anti-matter propulsion system), to see what happens.

I am almost sure that I will change my goal in the future, although this is a good goal to try. Do you have any suggestion on how I should change this? Do you agree that the possibility of achieving my goal is not 0?

Please send me anything (suggestions, opportunities, materials...) that may possibly help me fulfill my goals. This is something I always ask to anyone whom I told my goals to and who has possibility. So far it has not been successful, probably because my writing skills and/or my actual thoughts are not strong enough to give much impact on the readers. I will keep working on it. Any advice?

Yes, I am thinking about working in Space Station Alpha and going to Mars.

I am currently studying astronautics to learn more from Space Academy® Level II this summer. After the academy, I am also going to Japan to see my family, maintain my Japanese language, work, and to eat healthier Japanese food. I came to the United States last August to study at Midland High School because, during my 2-year stay in Midland with my family, I felt that education in the United States was much better for me to realize my goals. I am planning to complete high school in Midland.

I will see you later when I become an astronaut.

Sincerely,