“The first wooden satellite in history was launched into space: photo details The Japanese LignoSat satellite, made of magnolia, began operating in Earth’s orbit. The device will test the behavior of wood in space for 6 months for future projects on the Moon and Mars.”, — write on: unn.ua
Details
LignoSat was developed by scientists from Kyoto University and the construction company Sumitomo Forestry. It was named after the Latin word lignum, which means “wood”.
It is noted that the satellite is made of magnolia magnolia, which grows in Japan.
LignoSat has the shape of a cube with an edge length of only 10 centimeters, constructed using technology without the use of nails and glue.
The satellite should demonstrate the space potential of renewable material to explore life in space.
Sensors on board LignoSat will record possible deformations of the material, the level of its resistance to radiation and the effect of the Earth’s magnetic field on the internal electronics of the device.
A preliminary experiment aboard the station exposed three types of wood to the space environment to help researchers determine the best fit for LignoSat
The satellite will be delivered to the International Space Station as part of the SpaceX mission. Then it will be launched into orbit at an altitude of about 400 kilometers above the Earth
LignoSat is the first step towards realizing a 50-year plan to plant trees and build wooden houses on the Moon and Mars, developed by Japanese scientists. It is necessary to prove that wood is suitable for being in space.
In the early 1900s, airplanes were made of wood. A wooden satellite should also be quite suitable
According to him, wood in space will last longer than on Earth, because there is no water and oxygen, which could cause it to rot or catch fire.
The scientist also claims that the wooden satellite minimizes the impact on the environment. Decommissioned metal satellites create aluminum oxide particles as they enter the atmosphere. Whereas wooden ones should carry less pollution.
LignoSat will be in orbit for six months. Electronic components on board will measure how the wood withstands the extreme conditions of space. There, the temperature fluctuates between -100 and 100℃ every 45 minutes as the satellite moves from darkness to sunlight.
We will remind
The BepiColombo mission took a series of new images of Mercury during its sixth flyby of the planet. The spacecraft, launched in 2018, is scheduled to land on Mercury in 2026 for a detailed study.