By GWEN MURANAKA
RAFU SENIOR EDITOR
Welcome to the Moon.
After some tense moments, the Odysseus lunar lander safely touched down on the Moon on Feb. 22, marking the first time in 50 years a U.S. spacecraft reached the lunar surface.
There were cheers and celebration for the historic feat — the first commercial spacecraft to land safely on the Moon — but especially in Torrance at the offices of Scorpius Space Launch Company (SSLC).
In an interview with The Rafu Shimpo,Chris Maruyama, Scorpius manager of composite operations, said with pride, “It was definitely one of the mountaintops for my life and a career aspiration.”
In an industrial building in Torrance, the Scorpius team is a mix of creative enthusiasm, entrepreneurship and true engineering expertise that defines the growing commercial space industry. Maruyama started at the company in graphic design and now builds and manufactures the components. A graduate of UCLA, his work is multifaceted involving and includes machining, fabricating and design work.
His father, Takashi Maruyama, was an accomplished physicist with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
Scorpius built the all-composite propulsion tanks that were used to propel the telephone-booth-sized lander to the Moon. Developed by Intuitive Machines, Odysseus’ mission was to assess the environment of the Moon’s south pole in advance of NASA’s plans to return a crew of astronauts to the Moon in late 2026.
From Tang to cell phones and solar panels, space exploration has long fueled innovation, and Scorpius is an example of that.
“Space exploration has always been about pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and capability,” said Markus Rufer, Scorpius president and CEO. “We are a good example of how the inventions and innovations that come from this endeavor not only benefit astronauts but also improve our quality of life here on Earth.
“While our PRESSURMAXX liner-less carbon composite tanks are going to the Moon, they have already been embraced by the medical field for applications in cryo-ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmia and for mobile respiratory oxygen supplementation devices.”
Maruyama led a tour of the Scorpius office, where the tanks are built using lightweight composite materials. A photo of a pickup truck sitting atop shows the strength and durability of the tanks. He showed how the material, flexible and strong, is ideal for the harsh conditions of space.
“Everything in aerospace has to be lighter. Our tanks also have to survive cryogenic temperatures, very cold temps. That’s why the tanks are important. The other thing is it’s all carbon fiber — no metals bonded in,” he explained. “The fibers are strong … If you pull it this way it stretches. This is how we’re able to make different shapes.
Scorpius has been a dream job, Maruyama said as he stood in a machinery shop filled with tools. “I always wanted to be building stuff and working with my hands. Scorpius gave the opportunity and taught me how to do things and I also taught myself on YouTube to do some things. There are never boring days here — we’re always doing something different, finding different solutions.”
The race to explore the Moon has increased in recent years with countries such as China, Brazil, Japan, and India making advances in lunar exploration. Scorpius has provided tanks for the next two launches by Intuitive, with the next one tentatively scheduled for November.
“Now a lander is on the Moon … Something I made is going to be there for a long, long time, That’s what’s really exciting,” Maruyama said.
Mariye Receives DGA Nomination for ‘Just Add Magic’
How to connect your headphones to your TV
Bluetooth headphones will connect wirelessly to United's new planes
Samsung's next Galaxy smartwatch will work more like an Apple Watch
Afternoon of Women Writers at GVJCI
How to connect your PS4 controller to an iPhone
Loki and Bart Simpson will join forces in a new Disney+ short
Here's how to change the watch face on your Apple Watch
Persimmon Talk at Gardena Valley JCI on Sunday
How to record a Zoom meeting
Celebrate the Year of the Dog with JACA and AKIHO
Delhi airport official asks Manipur activist if she's 'really an Indian'
Samsung's next Galaxy smartwatch will work more like an Apple Watch
Andy Murray wins Wimbledon, has the best ice bath ever
Lecture, Exhibit on Akita Dogs at Japan Foundation
Suni Lee outscores gymnastics queen Simone Biles at U.S. Olympic team trials
'The Forever Purge' sets up a killer idea for possible 'Purge 6'
Watch monster fire storms blow up into the atmosphere after record heat
English Rakugo Performance in Torrance
'The Forever Purge' sets up a killer idea for possible 'Purge 6'
Virtus.pro и XP Academy вышли в плейVirtus.pro обыграла Amkal Esports на групповом этапе Winline EPIC Standoff 2 PawPaw: Ep.1Parkinson’s Support Group’s First Meeting of the YearLTBA Celebrates Community Leaders, Names New OfficersCrowds Flock to Little Tokyo for New Year KickA Conversation With Four Women WritersWhere to Find HelpBarbara Kawakami, Expert on Japanese Immigrants to HawaiiXP Academy лишили первого места на EPIC EFT: Arena — S6 после победы в грандИнтервью с победителем конкурса косплея на Чемпионате стран БРИКС 'The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special' coming to Disney+ in Nov. 2020 Teen pranks her family with the Influencer Challenge, and their reaction is hilarious Lyft is quickly catching up to Uber in an important way OnePlus under fire for pre 20% off Idle Sleep mattresses or a free adjustable base How the pandemic could forever change the way porn gets made 'Host' is horror's answer to the social distancing hell of 2020 'Microsoft Flight Simulator' review round 8 helpful Chrome extensions to improve working from home 15 best tweets of the week, including hilarious Cardi B edits
0.1667s , 9967.90625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【???.?????.???.????.????】Moon Mission Is Achievement for Space Launch Company,Global Hot Topic Analysis
