Japanese research team uses wood to build satellites, challenging traditional ideas
CTOnews.com, May 21, when we talk about satellites, we usually think of a metal box containing electronic components, but this is only because most satellites in history have been made in this way. In fact, it is also possible to use other materials to make satellites. Recently, a Japanese research team completed an experiment on using wood as a satellite shell and found that wood performed surprisingly well in space.
The project, called LignoSat, is a partnership between Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry. Their idea is simple: to use wood to make the shell material of the satellite. In some ways, wood is more suitable for space applications than metal because it has better elasticity, strength and lightweight. In addition, when a satellite with a metal shell re-enters the atmosphere and begins to burn, part of the shell will fall off and become trapped in its own orbit and will not be completely burned. These orbital debris can exacerbate the problem of space junk, which can be avoided by satellite shells made of wood and other materials.
However, no one has tested what can go wrong with wood in a vacuum in space. So the LignoSat researchers did a good experiment-- they sent the samples to the International Space Station.
Last year, outside the Kibo experimental module of the International Space Station, various wood samples were exposed in space for 290 days. In January this year, they returned to Earth with the CRS-26 resupply mission. After returning to Earth, LignoSat researchers conducted a series of material tests on the samples. The results showed that the samples were continuously affected by radiation for more than half a year, and there was no obvious deformation, exfoliation or surface damage. Moreover, the quality of the samples has not changed significantly, indicating that they can provide long-term and effective protection for the interior of the satellite.
CTOnews.com, a wood sample from the LignoSat project sent to the International Space Station, noted that one of the particularly striking wood samples is Magnolia, also known as Hoonoki in Japan, which is relatively soft but provides enough support to be used in the outer shell of the satellite launched by the LignoSat project during the joint NASA and JAXA missions in 2024.
Until then, researchers will continue to study samples returned from the International Space Station, including using more powerful instruments to observe whether degradation has taken place at the nanometer level.
