LignoSat, the first wooden satellite in history, is already in space
The first wooden satellite, LignoSat, is already on the International Space Station. From there, they will put it into orbit with the goal of turning wood into the next space material. They even plan to build wooden houses on the moon and Mars.
Wood has been a staple of human civilization, but it has its limits. Water rots it, oxygen expands it, and fire burns it. However, in the vacuum of space it becomes a strong and durable material like the metals used in satellites, but it does not pollute.
Its creators, scientists from Kyoto University in Japan, believe the wooden satellite will help reduce space debris.
Humans are polluters. Wherever we go, we litter everything. Whether it's a park, a mountain, a beach, or Earth's orbit. The same thing is already happening on the moon and Mars.
Thousands of satellites orbit the Earth, with fairly short life cycles. Some disintegrate and become space junk, others fall into the atmosphere and disintegrate. But they release polluting aluminium oxide particles.
A wooden satellite like LingoSat is not only much cheaper, but when destroyed in the atmosphere, it does not cause pollution.
Last year, Kyoto University conducted an experiment on the International Space Station, leaving several samples of different types of wood in space for 10 months, and found that magnolia wood did not deteriorate in space, even when exposed to extreme cold and heat, as well as radiation for about a year. That’s why Lignosat was built using honuki, a type of magnolia tree native to Japan, which samurai used to make their sword sheaths.
Kyoto University used traditional techniques that didn’t require screws or glue to create the satellite, which is slightly larger than the palm of your hand. The creators’ goal is to prove that wood is an ideal material for space. They plan to use it to build wooden houses and buildings on the moon and Mars. Which is something no one expected