Scientists from Kyoto University, Japan have successfully tested wood to be a reliable building material in space. It showed minimum decomposition and sound stability, as stated by the press release.
The samples from different wooden materials were released in the Space a year before and then brought back by Koichi Wakata, an astronaut of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The astronaut flew to SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission at ISS and returned safely to Earth by SpaceX’s CRS-26.
The different wooden specimens were retrieved after 10 months of exposure to extreme conditions including extreme temperatures, cosmic radiations, as well as solar particles. They were then evaluated at International Space Station as potential substance for LignoSat, an upcoming Japan’s artificial satellite.
The efficiency of the material was checked using crystal structural analyses and strength test of wooden samples in their experiment module Kibo. The results indicated no deterioration or deformations. Moreover, no surface malformation or mass change was observed.
Based on their victorious experiment, the material considered ideal for LignoSat is ‘Magnolia’.
