It's hard to imagine that you work as a "space development engineer" and that you work in a "one-person company." What kind of work do you do?

Simply put, we will continue to do the work we were doing at the time as an external company. When we create a new device, we can't just take it into space, so we conduct experiments on the ground under various conditions. We mainly provide consulting on experiments and design and manufacture of experimental environments.

Do you actually handle the production yourself?

I agree. Recently, I built and delivered an experimental facility by myself (lol).
To tell the truth, I originally liked creating things with my own hands, and I quit my job because I couldn't do that anymore. After that, I started a company that manufactures and sells handmade bicycles, and my former workplace asked me to help out. I couldn't accept a job at a bicycle company (lol), so I started a company called Hue CRAFT. That's why I'm particular about creating things myself, rather than leaving all the work to others.

Have you been interested in making things since you were a child?

Well, that's true. I love Lego and have been playing with it for a long time. My father was a linear motor engineer, and my grandfather also liked those things. My grandfather was born in the Meiji era, and in his imagination he used to make electric railway models from just one screw.

Perhaps because I grew up watching that kind of thing, I started tinkering with motorcycles when I was in high school, and was working on not only my own bikes but also the members of the race team.

In that sense, is your father and grandfather's influence on your current work as an engineer?

Due to various circumstances, my grandfather became a doctor rather than an engineer, but from an early age he would take me to family events such as factory tours where my father worked, so I think he had an influence on me. My father was a "desktop" developer type who did things like design. I'm the type of person who likes to create things with my hands. Although there are such differences.

Do you think Mr. Nakajima will have an influence on your children?

All of them are now adults, but my eldest son, who is 23 years old, has inherited his strong desire to take over his own interests and is aiming to become an engineer for aircraft and ships. I'm completely science-minded and have an engineer's temperament. My second daughter, who is 20 years old, is looking for a job and seems to be aiming for a career in aviation, and my eldest daughter, who is 26 years old, is trying to design cycle wear in conjunction with my bicycle business.

amazing! To begin with, we are a very close family. Is there any secret?

I think it's important not to force it. When it comes to my career path or anything else, I basically didn't do things like ``this is what I should do''. All I did was support. As a result of growing up being told to "study," I ended up not studying very much, so even now I still study every day while working (lol). You could say that on the other hand, you are becoming a teacher.

Have you ever taken your children on factory tours or company events, like Mr. Nakajima's father did? .

I agree. We also went to events open to the public and events for children to experience astronaut training menus.

My eldest son is the best of both my father and I, and he grew up to be a child who can tinker with machines and learn theory. By the time I was 19, I was able to take apart a car and put it back together (lol).

That's amazing too. The Nakajima family is such a close family, but what was their family's reaction when you started your business?

I retired in 2019, and my children were quite old, so I didn't have any particular objections from my wife or children. I started a bicycle shop thinking, ``It's about time I do what I want.'' (laughs) After that, I received a call from my previous workplace and started Hue CRAFT, which is a space development company.

My eldest son was in his university entrance exam year and wanted to go to the National Defense Academy, so he told me, ``I don't have to worry about money.'' On the other hand, my second daughter was a second year high school student at the time, and she was going to study abroad in the United States, so she was quite busy (lol).

So you're studying abroad. Did you have a purpose in making him study abroad?

No, he wanted to go of his own free will, so I just encouraged him. When I was in junior high school, my daughter suddenly brought me a pamphlet saying she wanted to study abroad, so I agreed with the condition that she pass the Eiken Pre-2nd or 2nd grade, and she took it. ``Well, it's a promise, so let's go.''

It's true that "don't force anything" was the Nakajima family's motto. Is there anything else you were careful about when raising your child?

The main premise is to understand the true meaning of "freedom" when someone says, "You can be free," and to be able to put it into practice. Just like the universe, there is a logic to why things are the way they are. I think it's important to face the rules and background properly and communicate them, rather than forcing something on them headfirst.

I see. It means that your ability to think for yourself will grow as you accumulate these things. It seems quite difficult...

To give you a specific episode, I think it happened when my eldest son was in junior high school. My eldest son, who was studying mathematics, asked me, ``What's the use of factoring and trigonometric functions in the future?'' So, I would open Excel, write a factorization formula in a cell, and show the child the calculations, or use CAD to draw a triangle, display the source code for cosine, etc., and show him, ``See, this is how adults use it.''

I think it's cool to see parents who can seriously address their children's questions and provide answers and hints. Lastly, do you have any message or advice for mothers and fathers who are raising children?

Even though artificial satellites are exposed to various uncertain disturbances, they are able to maintain their balance on their own because they have a solid axis. Once the children are nurtured in this way, it will be easy for their parents to just encourage them (lol). I think it's best to not get too caught up in things like ``responsibility'' and just have fun while doing it.