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https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/17/japan-to-launch-worlds-first-wooden-satellite-to-combat-space-pollution>
"Japanese scientists have created one of the world’s most unusual spacecraft –
a tiny satellite that is made of timber.
The LignoSat probe has been built of magnolia wood, which, in experiments
carried out on the International Space Station (ISS), was found to be
particularly stable and resistant to cracking. Now plans are being finalised
for it to be launched on a US rocket this summer.
The timber satellite has been built by researchers at Kyoto University and the
logging company Sumitomo Forestry in order to test the idea of using
biodegradable materials such as wood to see if they can act as environmentally
friendly alternatives to the metals from which all satellites are currently
constructed.
“All the satellites which re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny
alumina particles, which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years,”
Takao Doi, a Japanese astronaut and aerospace engineer with Kyoto University,
warned recently. “Eventually, it will affect the environment of the Earth.”
To tackle the problem, Kyoto researchers set up a project to evaluate types of
wood to determine how well they could withstand the rigours of space launch and
lengthy flights in orbit round the Earth. The first tests were carried out in
laboratories that recreated conditions in space, and wood samples were found to
have suffered no measurable changes in mass or signs of decomposition or
damage.
“Wood’s ability to withstand these conditions astounded us,” said Koji Murata,
head of the project."
Via
What Could Go Right? S5 E19:
https://theprogressnetwork.org/lab-grown-diamonds/
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
