Wood can build satellites. Re-entry burns without a trace.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are planning to launch the first wooden-shelled satellite into space with the aim of making space flight more sustainable, U.S. media reported recently.
The two space agencies said the artificial satellite, LignoSat, which is about the size of a coffee cup and whose shell is made of magnolia wood, will be launched into Earth orbit in the summer of 2024, the U.S. Fun Science website reported.
Earlier this year, researchers tested three wood samples - magnolia, cherry and birch - on the ISS. They ultimately chose magnolia wood because it has a relatively low likelihood of cracking or breaking during the manufacturing of the satellite.
Magnolia wood does not burn or decay in the vacuum of space, but it burns to a fine ash when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, making it a very useful, biodegradable material for future satellite development, the researchers said.
In a statement, the researchers said, "Although the extreme environment of outer space involves drastic temperature changes and the wood samples were exposed to intense cosmic rays and dangerous solar particles for up to 10 months, tests confirmed that they did not disintegrate or deform, such as cracking, bending, peeling or surface damage."
In theory, wooden-hulled satellites like LignoSat could help make spaceflight more sustainable, the researchers said.
