A senior official of the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition has disclosed a plan to send a banner depicting its official mascots into space when the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis is launched in March.
Harumi Sakamoto, secretary general of the association, said that Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will carry a large banner bearing "Morizo" and "Kiccoro," the two official mascots for the 2005 Aichi World Exposition, on his 12-day trip aboard the shuttle.
After the trip, the banner will receive an official space flight certificate from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Sakamoto said.
