Exhibition Panel Discussion | Moon Myths to Missions

Presented by the Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan.

From tenth-century folklore to lunar infrastructure, Moon Myths to Missions brings together perspectives from Japanese art history, government space policy, and commercial lunar exploration. This panel discussion will examine how imagination, collaboration, and cultural exchange shape humanity’s relationship with space.

Bringing together perspectives from commercial space, government, and Japanese art history, the panel features Takeshi Hakamada, commercial space pioneer and CEO of ispace, Garvey McIntosh, Senior Director of International Government Relations at Axiom who went from teaching English in Japan to serving as NASA Attaché in Tokyo; and Naoko Adachi, Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, whose research and curatorial work explores how Japanese identity and imagination have been constructed through prints and photography.

The conversation will highlight the deep and evolving partnership between Japan and the United States in space exploration. Drawing on their firsthand experiences, panelists will discuss how shared values and complementary approaches across government, cultural, and commercial sectors are shaping visions of sustained human presence on the Moon.

Moderated by Katherine Melbourne of the Aerospace Corporation, Moon Myths to Missions invites audiences to consider not only how we reach the Moon, but how culture, creativity, and humanity travels with us.

Inspired by Star Wars as a child, Takeshi Hakamada set out to pursue a life focused on space exploration. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he was involved in the conceptual design of next-generation aerospace systems. Starting in 2010, while working for a management consulting firm, he worked part-time to lead the Japanese team, HAKUTO, one of the finalists for the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, and changed the team’s management to ispace, inc.

Garvey McIntosh is the Senior Director for International Government Relations at Axiom Space, where he leads global government partnerships supporting Axiom Station, Artemis spacesuits, private astronaut missions, and orbital data center initiatives. His work focuses on building durable international pipelines that align national space priorities with Axiom’s commercial platforms and long-term vision.

Prior to joining Axiom, Mr. McIntosh served for more than 20 years at NASA, including a six-year assignment as NASA Asia Representative at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

Naoko Adachi is the Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. She received her MA and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Specializing in Japanese prints, photographs, and crafts of the nineteenth century, she is particularly interested in the representation of Japanese identity for international audiences.

Katherine E. Melbourne is a national security space analyst at The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. She previously worked in the aerospace industry as a systems engineer on the James Webb Space Telescope commissioning team and translated cislunar mechanics to an educational wargame for the U.S. Space Force. Melbourne received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University in astrophysics and received her master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required for security purposes. Program begins at 6:30 PM. Doors open 30 minutes prior. Registered guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee guests a seat.

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Host or Publisher Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan