The Guinea worm disease will be the first parasitic disease to be eradicated without using any vaccines or medications, according to the Carter Center, which is run by former US President Jimmy Carter. It is the first major disease that may soon be eliminated without the use of any medicine. People get infected by the disease by drinking contaminated water. The worm then grows into a parasite inside the body for about a year. It takes weeks for the worms to fully emerge but once they do, they appear around the feet area. The victim then suffers from great pain, making it nearly impossible for the person to move around and live normal lives. However, due to the Carter Center’s 22-year battle against the Guinea worm disease, it can now only be found in a few African countries. “It was a horrible disease, almost indescribably bad,” said Carter. “It was almost an impossible problem, so that’s why we decided to try to solve it.”

Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. He traveled to outer space on Vostok 1 on April 12, 1916, and his first report was: “The sky is dark. The Earth is blue.” From the man’s first view of the planet, the Earth shines blue in space because of its large amounts of water. The planet Earth has water because of its distance from the sun. It is the perfect temperature to have water; not too cold or too hot. Other planets in our solar system have water as well, but it is either too little in amount or they freeze and turn to ice. As far as we know, Earth is the only planet that can support life in the solar system, and water is essential for us to live.

Koichi Wakata, a Japanese astronaut, has been on the International Space Station (ISS) three times. His third time was in 2013 and was asked to be the commander of the ISS. It was his responsibility that all astronauts, including those from the US, Russia, and Latvia live peacefully. Kirobo, the Japanese-speaking robot, was part of them, too. They had to work and talk together, as well as live in a crowded space for 188 days. Koichi had only one rule as the commander: have dinner altogether as much as possible. For Koichi, sharing meals with others is an important way to feel relaxed and talk about their work.

Koichi has one word to describe his experience as an astronaut. Frightening. There are many dangers going to space. But Koichi does not mind. In fact, he enjoys traveling to space because it offers many challenges, and he believes it is important for humanity. Through his experience as an astronaut, he has come to realize that humans are common citizens of the planet Earth.

Koichi Wakata was five years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Since then, he had dreamed of becoming an astronaut. It was twenty-seven years later when he made his first trip into space. “Every time I go into space, I discover my love for the earth,” Koichi said. He describes the planet Earth as an “oasis” in space. According to Koichi, one can clearly see the oceans, clouds, mountains, and rivers from space. He can even identify his home country Japan by its shape alone.

Astronauts from different countries join one another in meals every day, giving them the chance to try various space foods. However, eating food without gravity is both difficult and can be a problem. For example, you must use a straw when eating soup. You also cannot take a bath in space: you can only wipe your body with a cloth. Each has his/her own room, but they are very small. Overall, life in space is still comfortable because astronauts can do many scientific experiments.