New material protects the ISS from damage and generates energy

One of the biggest threats to the International Space Station (ISS) is a collision with

micrometeorites.Even a small hole can lead to a dangerous situation for astronauts. There is currently no active monitoring program for these types of collisions, although they are very likely. An interdisciplinary team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) wants to solve this problem with a collision sensor made from fabric.

External panels on the ISS were covered with a material undernamed "beta cloth", it gives the station its characteristic white color. The Teflon fiberglass coating is designed to protect the space station from minor impacts. However, it does not actively monitor whether and where a collision occurred, making it difficult to determine if a tissue fragment needs to be repaired or replaced.

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The new material uses "thermally stretchedacoustic fibers ”, which are highly sensitive to mechanical vibrations. The fabric also converts these vibrations into electrical energy using the piezoelectric effect. Connecting wires to individual sections of the material will create a lattice-like structure, and engineers can calculate the number and size of impacts on the fabric.

Samples of these highly sensitive tissuessent to the ISS in early November. The samples themselves are still without power, but a 10 x 10 cm tissue has already been attached to the outside of the station. The group plans to subject her to severe space tests for a year, after which she will be returned to Earth.

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