According to New Atlas, the materials used for implants or prostheses are usually very tough. The carbon fiber composite material produced by Italian carmaker Lamborghini may be able to do the job. The company's samples will soon be sent to the International Space Station for testing under harsh outer space conditions.
A few years ago, Lamborghini Automobile Co., Ltd. and the Houston Methodist Institute in Texas began to cooperate, the former will provide the latter with technical expertise in biomedical equipment materials development. The research may also lead to materials that can be used for other applications, such as building more flexible spacecraft or lighter, stronger cars.
Lamborghini has now announced that as part of this effort, its manufactured material samples will be launched from Northrop Grumman ’s Antares rocket from Wallops flight base in Virginia by November 2 Delivery to the International Space Station.
Scientists at the ISS US National Laboratory will conduct a series of experiments on these samples over a period of six months, exposing them to "extreme pressure caused by the space environment." These "pressures" will include temperature fluctuations (from minus 40oC to 200oC), absolute vacuum in outer space, and exposure to large amounts of radiation (in the form of ultraviolet rays and gamma rays) and corrosive atomic oxygen.
The samples then returned to Earth, and Lamborghini and Houston Methodist researchers compared them with the same samples left in the laboratory to assess the degree of decline in their chemical, physical, and mechanical properties.
The test will be conducted on a total of five small samples made of different carbon fiber composite materials. These include 3D printed "continuous fiber" composite materials, discontinuous fiber composite materials introduced in the automaker's Sesto Elemento limited edition supercar, and fabric-reinforced epoxy resin prepreg cured by autoclave.
Dr. Alessandro Grattoni, principal investigator of the Houston Methodist Church, said: "The environmental conditions of low Earth orbit allow us to evaluate the performance and robustness of carbon fiber materials under extreme conditions. This is a unique environment where we can understand their characteristics and characteristics One day, we can develop technology and equipment that can be used on Earth and in space. "