I yearn to soar free in the sky like a bird
Beginning with the Wright Brothers,
Who, in pursuit of such a dream,
achieved humanity’s first successful piloted flight,
As a fast and safe means of transportation
And humanity turns now to space
Centennial Anniversary of the Department of Aeronautics, The University of Tokyo
Chairman’s Message
In the almost 120 years since 1903, the year that the Wright Brothers completed their first flight and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky published his rocket equation, aerospace engineering has made remarkable progress around the world. As a part of this legacy, the Department of Aeronautics (now the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics), which was founded in 1920 in the Tokyo Imperial University Faculty of Engineering (now the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Tokyo), marked its centennial anniversary in 2020.
During this period, our departmental graduates have played pioneering roles in the Japanese aerospace field through the realization of the YS-11, the first domestically produced Japanese aircraft after World War II, and the development of the Hayabusa rocket and other space endeavors. Moreover, they have also contributed greatly to the development of related industries, such as the automobile sector, which take advantage of technologies developed for space. The activities of our graduates span a wide range of fields, both terrestrial and in space, and they occupy a leading position in the international relations of competition and cooperation.
Students and young researchers in the field of aerospace engineering need to acquire international experience and engage in active exchanges with overseas researchers and engineers. To this end, to mark the centennial anniversary of the Department of Aeronautics in 2020, the University of Tokyo established the Aerospace Research and Education Support Fund (captured by the slogan “Fledging Sorabito – aviators who will spread their wings around the world”) under the auspices of the UTokyo Foundation as a means of providing financial support to these students and young researchers for overseas travel and living expenses.
As I offer my congratulations on the centennial anniversary of the Department of Aeronautics, I hope that we can count on your support in anticipation of the next one hundred years.
Hirotoshi Kubota
Chair of the Executive Committee of the Department of Aeronautics Centenary Project
HISTORY
1903 First flights by the Wright Brothers, Tsiolkovsky’s rocket equation
1918 Inauguration of an Aviation Seminar at the College of Engineering, Imperial University of Tokyo
1920 Department of Aeronautics founded
1945 Hiatus until 1954
1954 Reopening of the Department of Aeronautics with a two-course system offering specializations in aeronautics and power systems engineering
1963 Introduction of a third course in aerospace engineering
1993 Reorganization of the Department of Aeronautics as the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Implementation of a two-course system offering specializations in aerospace systems and aerospace propulsion
2020 Centennial Anniversary of the Department of Aeronautics
First-place entry in the NASA Aeronautics Supersonic Commercial Transport College Competition (Non-U.S. Division) (Hydrogen Fueled Low Boom SST)
CubeSat XI-IV, a 1-kg nanosatellite designed and built by students
This fund is intended to cover travel and living expenses for overseas training by outstanding students and early-career researchers who will play a leading role in the next century of aerospace research. We look forward to your cooperation.
Project Leader
Mitsuhiro Tsue
Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
School of Engineering
The University of Tokyo
