人工衛星へ汲取舟が行く話The Tale of the Honey Bucket Going to an Artificial Satellite

What you'll learn

The author discusses the uncertain timeline for creating habitable artificial satellites, but believes it will happen within a decade. The main problem is waste disposal: since there is no gravity, waste floats and cannot be easily discarded. Proposed solutions like exploding it or sending it back to Earth are unsatisfactory. The best idea is to bring waste back to Earth on resupply ships, effectively turning them into 'night soil boats.' The author humorously concludes that even in the space age, we will still need such services.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～かどうか N4Indicates 'whether or not'. Used to express uncertainty about a choice or fact.
  本当に人間が住める人工衛星が、いつごろ出来るかは、いまのところまだわからない。
• ～なければならない N3Must do something; obligation.
  大便とは、何とかして捨てなければならないが、人工衛星の軌道の上では捨てるところがない。
• ～ては困る N2It's a problem if...; indicates that something is undesirable.
  そんなものがいつまでも窓の外に浮いていられては困る。

Cultural notes

• Moon Viewing (月見)The text mentions 中秋の明月の晩 (mid-autumn moon viewing night), a traditional Japanese custom of admiring the full moon, often with seasonal foods and sake. The author humorously suggests that seeing a shooting star (which might be waste) during moon viewing would spoil the mood.
• Night Soil Boats (汲取舟)Before modern sewage systems, human waste was collected from homes and transported by boats or carts to be used as fertilizer. The author wryly notes that even in the space age, we will still need such a service.

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