As of: March 5, 2024, 9:24 a.m
By: Bjarne Kommnick
Comments
Press
Split
Revolution in space exploration.
Researchers build a probe out of wood.
It is scheduled to start in 2024 – and could therefore become a pioneering project.
Kyoto - Environmental protection is part of the agenda for people beyond Earth: A research team from Japan has now built a satellite out of wood, as the
Guardian
reports.
The “LignoSat probe” is scheduled to launch using a rocket in the summer – but the Earth itself will benefit most from this.
“Ability amazed us”: Wood did not decompose even after ten months in space
The satellite was developed and built at Kyoto University in cooperation with the Japanese timber company Sumitomo Forestry.
The university explains in a press release that the research tested and confirmed the high durability of space wood on the ISS.
The wooden LignoSat satellite is designed to burn to ash upon re-entry into the atmosphere.
© Kyoto University
A university spokesperson describes: "Despite the extreme environmental conditions in space, which involved significant temperature fluctuations and ten months of exposure to intense cosmic radiation and dangerous solar particles, tests confirmed no decomposition or deformation such as cracks, deformation, peeling or surface damage."
Koji Murata, the project leader explains: “The ability of wood to withstand these conditions amazed us.”
“Impact on the environment”: Wooden satellites enter the Earth’s atmosphere without pollutants
Magnolia wood – or Hoonoki in Japanese – is used because of its “ideal properties”.
The reason is a relatively high level of processability, dimensional stability and overall strength.
In April 2020, researchers at Kyoto University started the tests.
The results could “lead to robust and highly functional wood materials for new applications,” according to the university.
Takao Doi, an astronaut and aerospace engineer at Kyoto University, told the
Guardian
: "All satellites that re-enter Earth's atmosphere burn up and produce tiny aluminum oxide particles that float in the upper atmosphere for many years."
The new wooden satellite could get the ball rolling and “ultimately impact the Earth’s environment.”
Solar storms could also potentially have an enormous impact on the Earth, as researchers explain.
Researchers warn of “serious environmental damage” from aluminum probes
Recent research by scientists at the University of British Columbia found that aluminum from re-entering satellites can cause serious depletion of the ozone layer, which protects Earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
Aluminum could also have an impact on the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth.
The researchers warn that this could lead to “serious environmental damage”.
My news
Icelandic volcanic system has erupted again – is this normal?read
When the next full moon will be in the sky - read a list of all the dates of the year
Observations reveal mysterious galaxy – read “Pushing the Limits of Understanding”.
What is the mass of our Milky Way? read
Ants heal their comrades – this could be instructive for human infections read
By laser beam – messages from space reach the earth over 16 million kilometers away
With the probe made of wood, on the other hand, the material leaves no pollutants behind when it enters the earth's atmosphere, but only a fine spray of biodegradable ash.
According to the researchers, the LignoSat probe could become a pioneer for many other satellites.
The probe is scheduled to launch in 2024.
Which rocket is still in the final stages of planning.
The probe - which is about the size of a coffee cup - is expected to operate in space for at least six months before returning to the upper atmosphere.
Only recently was a small satellite able to measure gamma radiation, unlike large NASA probes.