The consolation was that it was unmanned. Yoshifumi Inatani, an asso-ciate professor at Japan s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said that Japan certainly lacks knowledge of manned flight technology. Needless to say, technolo-gical data of manned flights will be a prerequisite for taking passengers into space. If we transport ordinary people, many new problems may emerge, he said. He added that the biggest problem will be how to ensure passengers safety.
Companies backing the project acknowledge the diffi-culties.
There are still technical problems, such as how the engine can really be reusable and how lighter spaceships can be built, said Hiroyuki Torii, a spokesman for Kawasaki Heavy Industries space and commercial plane division. Soi Rama 9 Hospital, Rama IX Road., Bangkok 10310 Thailand. All rights reserved.