Russia has created the world's first satellite scanning probe microscope, which is already operating in open space and transmitting data for future spacecraft. With its help, scientists have discovered an important thing: some materials in orbit are capable of partially "self-healing" under the influence of solar radiation. This will help create satellites and ships that will last longer and wear out less in space.
This refers to the "SMM-2000S" device. It was developed at the "Proton" factory in the "Technopolis Moscow" special economic zone. The flight model of the microscope was created by Moscow engineers and scientists, installed on the "Nanozond-1" satellite, and sent into orbit in June 2023.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, the device successfully withstands cosmic overloads, consumes little energy, and operates stably in open space conditions.
The main value of the device is that it allows studying materials directly in orbit, in a real space environment. The data obtained has already been published in scientific journals and, as noted, makes a significant contribution to the study of the impact of space on materials.
One of the important results is the discovery of partial "self-healing" of some materials under the influence of solar radiation. It was also found that the outer skin degrades slower under the influence of solar wind than previously thought. This opens up the possibility of making satellite and spacecraft structures lighter: if materials can be made thinner without losing reliability, then there will be a chance to increase the payload.
It is separately noted that the "space microscope" has already helped explain the origin of cosmic dust.