2023-12-15 16:41:24
Scientists from the United States and Japan are preparing to launch LignoSat, the first wooden satellite, in 2024. The international project is part of a joint mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, under the direction of Kyoto University.
The coffee cup-sized satellite is made of magnolia wood, which was shown to have minimal deterioration and remarkable stability when the team conducted an inspection that included strength testing and structural analysis, according to this release. the academic institution.
In fact, the team of Japanese researchers previously tested the durability of three types of wood in space: birch, cherry and magnolia. There, the materials were exposed to the extreme conditions of outer space, including changes in temperature, radiation and solar particles, according to this note. DW. The magnolia one did not show deformations or significant changes.
Why use wood in space projects
According to this article by Science, by 2030 the number of satellites orbiting the Earth will increase from 9,000 to 60,000. Specialists claim that wood does not burn or rot in space but rather turns into ash upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. This makes it a useful biodegradable material.
Koji Murata, researcher at Kyoto University, explained in this note to CNN: «When wood is used on Earth, problems with combustion, rot and deformation arise, but in space these problems do not exist: there is no oxygen, so it does not burn, and there are no living beings that live in it, therefore “what does not rot.”
Wood can also be a beneficial material for satellites because electromagnetic waves can penetrate through it. This means that components like antennas might be kept inside the body of the satellite and simplify the design, according to this article in Smithsonian Magazine.
Takao Doi worked as an astronaut and flew two NASA special shuttle missions. Today he works as a professor at Kyoto University. Through this page crowfunding raised funds for the LignoStella project. In it they also emphasize the benefits of using wood in outdoor space:
- Wooden satellites are the first step towards achieving carbon neutrality in space development.
- Metal satellites re-enter the atmosphere, turn into aluminum oxide particles and remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long time.
- Wood simplifies the structure of the satellite and makes it more difficult to break.
- The opportunity to spread Japanese logging culture to the world is growing, and it is possible to build a space logging industry in the future.
This content was https://www.redaccion.com.ar/lanzaran-el-primer-satelite-de-madera-en-2024/ and is republished as part of the “Human Journalism” program, an alliance for quality journalism between RÍO NEGRO and NETWORK/ACTION.
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