GettyThe world’s first wooden plank satellite has been launched into space to test the suitability of wood as a renewable building material in future exploration of destinations such as the moon and Mars.
The microsatellite, which weighs only 900 grams, was built by Japanese researchers and will carry out a SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. It will then be released into orbit above Earth.
Named “LignoSat,” after the Latin word for “wood,” its panels are made from a type of magnolia tree using traditional techniques that require no screws or glue.
The Kyoto University researchers who developed the material hope that in the future it may be possible to replace some of the metals used in space exploration with wood.
“Wood is more durable in space than on Earth because there is no water or oxygen to allow it to rot or burn,” Kyoto University Forest Science Professor Koji Murata told Reuters news agency.
“Airplanes in the early 1900s were made of wood,” Professor Murata said. “Wooden satellites should also be possible.”
Researchers hope that if trees can one day be grown on the moon or Mars, wood might also provide material for future space colonies.
In addition to its wooden panels, LignoSat uses traditional aluminum construction and electronic components. It is equipped with sensors to monitor how its wood reacts to the extreme environment of space during its six months orbiting Earth.
Kyoto UniversityDr Simon Barber, a space research scientist at the Open University, said: “We have to be clear, this is not a satellite made entirely of wood… but the basic premise behind the idea is very interesting.
“From a sustainability perspective, wood is a material that can be grown and therefore renewable,” he told the BBC.
“You might be able to grow wood on another planet to help you explore space or build shelters – explorers have always used wood to build shelters when traveling to new lands.”
Dr Barber said this was not the first time wood had been used on spacecraft.
“We use wooden cork on the re-entry skins of spacecraft to help them survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Russian and Soviet lunar landers used corks to help the rovers maintain grip as they descended to the lunar surface, he added.
“There’s nothing wrong with using wood in space – it’s using the right material for the right task.”
He points out that wood has properties that are difficult to control.
“So from an engineering perspective, it’s a difficult material to work with… I think wood is always going to be a problem when making critical structures, like spacecraft parts, where you need to predict how strong it will be. ”
Researchers at Kyoto University hope that using wood to build spacecraft will also produce far less pollution than metal spacecraft when they burn up upon re-entry at the end of their lives.
Kyoto UniversityExperts warn that as more spacecraft and satellites are launched, the threat of space debris falling to Earth is growing.
Dr Barber acknowledged that the aerospace industry is under increasing pressure over the amount of pollution it pumps into the atmosphere, but he expressed doubts that using wooden spacecraft would provide the answer.
“In principle, using more flammable materials like wood would certainly reduce those metal contaminants… but you might end up carrying more material with you just to burn it off on the way down.”
