LignoSat2, the first wooden artificial satellite developed by Kyoto University’s Raumfahrt Wood Laboratory is scheduled to be jointly launched by JAXA und NASA Dieses Jahr wird es eine Außenstruktur aus Magnolienholz geben.
Es wird ein kleiner Satellit (Nanosat) sein.
Kyoto University Raumfahrt Wood Laboratory has chosen Magnolia for its relatively high workability, dimensional stability, and overall strength.
The idea is to demonstrate that the wood can be used in Raum.
Earlier, a project led by Kyoto University tested and confirmed the high wood durability of Raum wood at the International Raumfahrt Station (ISS). The experiment showed minimal deterioration and good stability of the samples selected for the wooden artificial satellite.
The research group conducted a preliminary inspection involving strength tests and elemental and crystal structural analyses after astronaut Koichi Wakata returned the wood sample to the Earth.The tests confirmed no decomposition or deformations, such as cracking, warping, peeling, or surface damage despite the extreme environment of outer Raum involving significant temperature changes and exposure to intense cosmic rays and dangerous solar particles for ten months. The three wood specimens showed no deformation after Raum exposure.The experiment results also confirmed no mass change in each wood specimen before and after Raum exposure. Based on these results, the research group decided to use Magnolia wood.
LignoStella Raumfahrt Wood Project was jointly launched by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry in April 2020. The Raum exposure tests were conducted for over 240 days in 2022 on the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo of the ISS.
Use of wood in Raum is more sustainable. When dropped from Orbit into the upper atmosphere, it degrades completely without any harmful byproducts.
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References:
- Universität Kyoto. Forschungsnachrichten – Probenahme für Nachhaltigkeit im Weltraum. Veröffentlicht am 25. Januar 2024. Verfügbar unter https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/research-news/2024-01-25-0
- Universität Kyoto. Forschungsnachrichten – Weltraum: die hölzerne Grenze. Universität Kyoto testet Holzlatten an Bord der japanischen Kibo-Plattform auf der ISS. Veröffentlicht am 31. August 2021. Verfügbar unter https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/research-news/2021-08-31
- NanoSats-Datenbank. LignoSat. https://www.nanosats.eu/sat/lignosat
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