From Hungary's perspective, the event is of historical significance, as the country sent a human into space again after 45 years.Continue reading
Hungarian research astronaut Tibor Kapu, who returned to Earth on Tuesday, tested a new tracking method on the International Space Station (ISS), and presented a spectacular demonstration of a new Hungarian mathematical discovery. In addition, he observed active thunderstorm activity over the night side of Earth as part of the Hungarian space mission, the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network revealed.
As part of the HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) program, Tibor Kapu conducted an Earth observation experiment for the HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science (EPSS) during his scientific mission. The Hungarian astronaut photographed upper atmospheric electrical activity occurring in the nighttime hemisphere of our planet.
The experiment was primarily intended to observe lightning activity and the associated electrical flashes of light appearing above thunderclouds – so-called transient luminous events (TLEs), the HUN-REN release explained. József Bór, a researcher at HUN-REN EPSS, said that during the preliminary quality check of the mission’s video recordings, two sprite-type TLEs had already been identified.
These are the first lightning-related phenomena above cloud level to be detected and confirmed as part of the UHU Earth Observation Experiment.
He added that access to several recordings will be made available at a later stage, but that further TLEs are expected to be found upon more detailed review of the current dataset. HUN-REN already considers the UHU experiment a success: in addition to the sprites, numerous lightning flashes are clearly visible in the video frames. Images captured from space will be suitable for verifying the detection efficiency of ground-based lightning networks, and for the application of thunderstorm-related electrical activity data in climate research.
Kapu conducted measurements in space related to a new tracking method developed by the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics. Miklós Kornyik, the project leader and a researcher at the institute, explained that in addition to the baseline experiment, an extended measurement was also carried out, during which their application recorded calibration data across two full orbits. “In both cases, Tibor successfully uploaded the datasets to Axiom’s cloud platform. The data is currently held by NASA. Preliminary results are expected within a few weeks of gaining access to the data,” the HUN-REN researcher added.
The tracking method tested on the ISS as part of the HUNOR program is used in various fields, including medicine, robotics, and even video games.
The algorithms that can be developed based on the experiment may prove particularly useful for space navigation, the coordinated control of multiple spacecraft, docking operations, and maintenance operations.
Kapu also worked with soft cells, discovered in 2024, by applied mathematicians from the HUN-REN–BME Morphodynamics Research Group. These special spatial forms, capable of filling three-dimensional space without corners, were represented in space by a particularly symmetrical piece of the family. The research astronaut took this piece with him into space to illustrate the important and illustrative characteristics of the shape in two demonstrations that could only be performed in microgravity.
In the first demonstration, he used the soft cell to create bodies of water, taking advantage of the fact that the theoretical structure leads to minimal surfaces. In the second, he assembled multiple soft cells into a connected structure to show how these shapes interlock in an unusually stable way.
Gábor Domokos, head of the research group and one of the inventors of the soft cells, described the incoming images as a stunning sight.
He expressed his hope that these recordings might spark an intellectual impulse somewhere in the world – one that could soon lead to the direct application of this very recent theoretical breakthrough.
Crystal chemists from the HUN-REN Center for Natural Sciences, in cooperation with the HUNOR program and the Japanese space industry’s key company, JAMSS, spent a month growing single crystals from a new organic compound aboard the ISS. The experiment was conducted as part of the Kirara-6 mission, delivered by the earlier SpaceX CRS-32 cargo flight.
Under microgravity conditions, crystals form with greater structural order, making them more suitable for scientific analysis than those grown in any laboratory on Earth.
This successful experiment could open up new avenues in chemical research and industrial applications, as it marks the first time a hydrogen-bonded framework has ever been crystallized in microgravity. Although hydrogen bonds are weaker than the interactions typically used in previous framework structures, making the crystal more fragile, chemical processes involving such materials can proceed with lower energy input. The experiment also provides a theoretical foundation for future research.
The detailed structural analysis is being carried out by Dr. Petra Bombicz and her research group, using the crystal that returned intact from the ISS despite the effects of vibration during re-entry. Measurement data for the reconstruction were recently collected at the Diamond Light Source facility in the UK. The scientific community is eagerly awaiting not only the publication of this first-ever hydrogen-bonded framework, but also the description of the novel vapor-absorption method developed at the Budapest research institute for its creation, the release concludes.
Via hun-ren.hu, Featured image: Facebook/HUNOR – Magyar Űrhajós Program