The Japanese space agency JAXA sent a wooden satellite to the ISS in December. The goal is to find out how this unconventional material will behave and whether it can withstand harsh conditions. Experiments in laboratories on earth indicated that he should be able to do it.
The goal is to be a more ecological alternative to satellites for the phase when they burn up in the atmosphere after the end of their commercial life. Unlike metals, wood does not release dangerous substances into the atmosphere when it burns.
The Japanese had previously conducted an experiment where they exposed several types of wood (but did not specify the types) to the space environment to see which was the most suitable. The choice fell on the sácholan, or magnolia. According to experiments in the laboratory, wood can withstand temperatures in the range of −150 to +150 °C, and only negligible damage to the wood structure occurs in a vacuum.
It can be seen from the photos that these are entire blocks of massif connected using dovetail joints without the use of glue or screws. The satellite is very small, one side of the cube is ten centimeters. Inside, there is already standard electronics, which of course contains metal parts. Even from the outside, it is not only wood, aluminum frames and steel struts are used for reinforcement.
Satellite dovetail joints without the use of glue
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Construction of the LignoSat satellite
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JAXA sent the module to its Kibo module on the International Space Station. “In particular, we want to measure the degree of erosion caused by atomic oxygen collisions with fibrous material, and we also want to see the effects of cosmic rays and the vacuum of space on the mechanical properties of wood.”. stated Koji Muratahead of space wood research and member of Biomaterials Design Lab from Kyoto University. The satellite will also determine how much geomagnetic radiation penetrates inside.
source: NASA, Kyoto University
Source: www.cnews.cz
