The Italian supercar manufacturer hopes to explore the effects of cosmic radiation on its composites.
Lamborghini is going to space, y'all, and not in an "I'm Elon Musk, and I'm going to send my car into orbit" kind of way.
Automobili Lamborghini is instead working with a hospital called the Houston Methodist Research Institute to examine the effects that the extreme environment of space has on composite materials. Cool, right?
The plan is for Lamborghini to send up several samples of different composite materials to the International Space Station
via an unmanned rocket. Once there, the samples will be studied, and
it's hoped that the results will inform the design of future supercars
and medical equipment like artificial limbs.
"We are very proud,"
said Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali, in a statement. "Lamborghini is
breaking ground as the first automaker in the world to conduct carbon
fiber materials science research on the ISS. In addition to representing
an important example of corporate social responsibility, this mission
is also fully in line with our philosophy and values. Lamborghini is a
brand that has always been committed to going beyond limits in every
area of its activity and to being a pioneer in the realm of technology."
The
carbon fiber samples will spend half a year on the ISS. During that
time, they'll be exposed to all kinds of crazy cosmic radiation (I hope
Lamborghini is prepared for its samples to come back with powers like The Fantastic Four) as well as massive variations in temperature.
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