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NEW DELHI – Japan and the United States plan to launch the world's first wooden satellite, the LignoSat probe, into space this summer.
This unusual spacecraft is made of magnolia wood, which during experiments was found to be particularly stable and resistant to cracking. The Guardian reported that Japanese scientists created the wooden satellite, and now the United States is part of their mission as they put the finishing touches on the satellite that will be launched on an American rocket.
In a pioneering effort to address the growing problem of space debris, researchers at Kyoto University in collaboration with logging company Sumitomo Forestry have built a wooden satellite. They came up with the idea of using an alternative to metal, a biodegradable material.
Takao Doi, a Japanese astronaut and aerospace engineer at Kyoto University, recently warned that “all satellites entering the Earth's atmosphere burn up and produce small particles of alumina, which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.” “Ultimately, this will affect the Earth's environment.”
To address this problem, researchers in Kyoto created a project to evaluate wood species to determine how well they can withstand the rigors of space launches and long flights in Earth orbit. The first tests were conducted in laboratories that recreated conditions in space, and found that the wood samples experienced no measurable changes in mass or signs of decay or damage.
“We were amazed by the wood's ability to withstand these conditions,” said Koji Murata, project leader.
Why is it important?
Most importantly, it is a biodegradable material, which means it is environmentally friendly and the best alternative to non-biodegradable materials that could become extinct in the next 2000 years. This would reignite hope that even after non-biodegradables die out, satellites and other objects could function.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada recently revealed that aluminum from the re-entry of satellites can cause serious depletion of the ozone layer that protects the Earth from the sun's ultraviolet rays and can also affect the amount of sunlight transmitted through the atmosphere. And it reaches Earth, according to The Guardian.
However, this should not be a problem with satellites built of wood, such as LignoSat, which when they burn up during their re-entry into the atmosphere after completing their mission, will only produce a fine mist of biodegradable ash.
This unusual spacecraft is made of magnolia wood, which during experiments was found to be particularly stable and resistant to cracking. The Guardian reported that Japanese scientists created the wooden satellite, and now the United States is part of their mission as they put the finishing touches on the satellite that will be launched on an American rocket.
In a pioneering effort to address the growing problem of space debris, researchers at Kyoto University in collaboration with logging company Sumitomo Forestry have built a wooden satellite. They came up with the idea of using an alternative to metal, a biodegradable material.
Takao Doi, a Japanese astronaut and aerospace engineer at Kyoto University, recently warned that “all satellites entering the Earth's atmosphere burn up and produce small particles of alumina, which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.” “Ultimately, this will affect the Earth's environment.”
To address this problem, researchers in Kyoto created a project to evaluate wood species to determine how well they can withstand the rigors of space launches and long flights in Earth orbit. The first tests were conducted in laboratories that recreated conditions in space, and found that the wood samples experienced no measurable changes in mass or signs of decay or damage.
“We were amazed by the wood's ability to withstand these conditions,” said Koji Murata, project leader.
Why is it important?
Most importantly, it is a biodegradable material, which means it is environmentally friendly and the best alternative to non-biodegradable materials that could become extinct in the next 2000 years. This would reignite hope that even after non-biodegradables die out, satellites and other objects could function.
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Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada recently revealed that aluminum from the re-entry of satellites can cause serious depletion of the ozone layer that protects the Earth from the sun's ultraviolet rays and can also affect the amount of sunlight transmitted through the atmosphere. And it reaches Earth, according to The Guardian.
However, this should not be a problem with satellites built of wood, such as LignoSat, which when they burn up during their re-entry into the atmosphere after completing their mission, will only produce a fine mist of biodegradable ash.
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