M
Mike Wehner
Guest
- A joint venture between Japan's Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University could result in the first use of wood as a satellite building material.
- Using wood for satellite construction could reduce the space junk problem by a degree, but only if the satellites actually fall to Earth.
- When a wood-based satellite falls to Earth, it would completely burn up in Earth's atmosphere, posing no risk to those on the ground.
When you think of satellites you think of metal. Lightweight alloys are the go-to for satellite builders because it's easy to launch satellites if they're light and the metals they use are strong and durable. Unfortunately, that's also a problem. You see, the space around Earth is becoming absolutely packed with debris, and a lot of that debris is old, defunct satellites, or parts of satellites that have already crashed into each other.
How could we possibly solve such a problem? Well, we could start by making satellites that don't turn into trash as readily as metal seems to. Building a satellite out of wood, for example, would allow it to break down more easily and completely burn up in Earth's atmosphere when its orbit degrades. That's why Japan's Sumitomo Forestry is teaming up with Kyoto University to experiment with wood as a satellite building material.
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Japan might make satellites out of wood – here’s why it’s a great idea originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 29 Dec 2020 at 23:10:32 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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