Hackmanite samples launched to ISS from University of Turku in Finland

Tuesday marks a historic day for the development of smart materials in Finland. Samples of hackmanite produced at the University of Turku were launched aboard a SpaceX unmanned rocket, heading towards the International Space Station (ISS) at 4:29 AM Finnish time. The rocket is scheduled to dock at the space station on Tuesday afternoon.

Mika Lastusaari, a chemistry professor and research team leader at Turku University, expressed his excitement. The hackmanite mission had originally been planned for last year. “We are truly grateful for the opportunity to test our developed material in space conditions,” he noted.

Hackmanite has been under development in Turku since 2014. While it can also be found in nature, researchers in Turku have synthetically produced it from various materials. Notably, this mineral changes color when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is funding a new research project to determine if hackmanite can be used to measure UVC radiation, which various materials encounter during space missions. “Such UV radiation does not exist on Earth, making this material beneficial for radiation measurement in space,” Lastusaari explained.

According to Dr. Sami Vuori, hackmanite is resilient against the extreme conditions of space and can easily measure radiation without electricity or complicated devices. It could eventually replace current radiation detectors used in material research in space.

Research at the University of Turku continues as they seek new applications for hackmanite, including its potential use in X-ray imaging and lighting. Once the hackmanite samples arrive at the ISS, two plates will be installed on the exterior of the station to measure radiation levels for about six months before they are retrieved for analysis. Lastusaari remarked that he has never held anything that has been in space, highlighting the unique experience of handling hackmanite, which is safe and recyclable.