as humanity For about 70 years we have been launching satellites into space for various purposes. When it comes to satellite, almost everyone thinks of a similar picture; a metal box. That’s a pretty simple definition, of course, but that’s about the picture.

But the countless satellites have been launched space junk, One of the most important debates of recent years. Fortunately, a research team from Japan has taken a rather interesting step that could solve this problem.

Strange as it may sound, the solution is wooden satellites;

Space is a pretty unforgiving place once you stop looking at it from the romantic side. Of course, all the spacecraft, satellites that we sent there Made from sustainable materials needs. Yet no one thought of using wood as a material.

However, the research team, running a project called LignoSat in Japan, took a creative approach. flexible, durable and lightweight material He started working on the idea that wood could be used as a natural, there’s a specific tree they’re working on; magnolia tree and wood derived from it.

It is thought that the gigantic space debris accumulating in our orbit will no longer be a problem if wooden satellites are put into practice. Because while the satellites entered the atmosphere and started to burn, some of the parts left behind can get stuck in their own mini-orbits in space without burning up, leading to a gigantic explosion over time. making them part of space junk. However, as you can imagine, this is not the case for a wooden material.

Experiments have shown the durability of the magnolia tree;

As part of the project, wooden test pieces were placed around a module on the International Space Station. 290 days exposed to high radiation in space and the parts tested were returned to Earth and examined.

Inspections and durability tests on wooden test pieces No deformation, deterioration or damage was noted. revealed. The team will continue testing in a mission to be conducted in 2024 in partnership with NASA and JAXA. In addition, several studies will be conducted to understand whether there is damage at the nanoscale.

However, the data obtained so far are specific to the large number of small and medium-sized satellites. wood is a promising material reveals.