The spacecraft itself 'welds' the cracks

A new material could help spacecraft automatically "patch" cracks and leaks that are being tested under conditions of space simulations on Earth.

Hollow fibers of 30 micron in diameter contain new material. When the crack occurs, the fibers will burst, release the liquid to fill the crack, solidify and seal the wound. (ESA)

This self-patching "skin" is the product of Ian Bond and Richard Trask from the University of Bristol, UK, in the project of the European Space Agency.

It was born from the idea of human skin - a material capable of self-healing cuts, with the blood coming out of contact with the air and freezing to form a protective scab.

Researchers have formed a similar idea to protect the spacecraft. They make a laminated composite material, containing hundreds of hollow glass fibers with a diameter of 30 microns (millimeters). Half of the fiberglass is pumped out of epoxy polymer or resin, and the other half is filled with a chemical agent - capable of reacting with the polymer to form a very hard and strong substance.

Fiberglass is designed so that it can break easily when the composite sheet is damaged, causing the two chemicals to escape, reacting with each other to form new substances and quickly fill the cracks. Empty hole created.

" We have proven ourselves to be able to restore material durability in this way and that it can withstand the environment in the universe ," Bond said.

The team then successfully tested the self-welding material in a vacuum chamber, simulating extraterrestrial conditions. They are expected to improve the material and test it in more stringent conditions, such as extreme temperatures.

This technology can protect the spacecraft against tiny pieces of rock - debris that is only a few millimeters in diameter but at a speed of several thousand meters per second, can damage a satellite or manned ship, and Cause serious damage. Another potential of the self-sealing material is to protect the ship from the leakage caused by extreme heat during the ship's operation.

However, this type of spacecraft will not be able to take off immediately. At least another decade, new technology could set foot in space , "said lead researcher Christopher Semprimoschnig.

T. An