These days,/the public often says/that my dream came true.// To me,/“going into space” was my dream,/but my current role is like a baton/in the marathon of life.// The motivation to become an astronaut is,/after all,/to find out/how far we can reach/by widening the horizon of humankind.// In this sense,/there is no end.// To a certain extent,/I continue my work,/just as the astronauts in the next generation/will connect to the following generation.// That’s why I was able to see a wider world/when I went into space/after ten years of training.//
　Because I wrote,/“I want to ride in a rocket,”/when I was in first grade,/people assume/that I always longed to achieve only this,/but that’s not true.// I had various goals.// What you want to complete in the future/naturally changes.// In my case,/fortunately,/my dream came true,/but dreams can be reached/in many different forms.// You don’t need to be obsessed/with a single dream,/and I think it is fine/to pursue what you’re aiming at/or what you think is important/at each stage of your life.// I believe/that dreams should be flexible/and open to change.//
　For example,/a boy who plays baseball/has a dream of going to Koshien Stadium.// Adults might think/that the dream is trivial,/but he may not give up baseball,/and someday grow up to be a famous player like Ichiro.// After that,/he may want to play/in the Japanese professional leagues,/in the Major Leagues,/and in the World Baseball Classic.// By stretching our world little by little,/we climb up each step of the ladder.// During the process,/specific goals may change,/and regardless of whether it is achieved,/each goal slowly expands.// And from this expanded world,/we can see further opportunities/spreading out before us.// I think/that’s what true dreams are.//
　In 100 years’ time,/no one will remember the names of the current astronauts,/perhaps outside of Yuri Gagarin,/the first astronaut of humankind.// In 100 years,/if we looked back on the current period,/we would probably say/this is the beginning of the journey into space.// Still,/it is a fact that,/step by step,/we keep trying space flights,/overcoming the accidents of Challenger and Columbia.// We must continue to challenge ourselves.// I’m hoping/that I will eventually become/one of a countless number of unsung astronauts.//