Japan hatches plan to launch wooden satellites in bizarre world first

Scientists from Kyoto University teamed up a forestry company in order to investigate how wood could be used in space. The aim is to prevent pollution in the upper atmosphere which occurs when conventional satellites burn up on re-entry.

Trending

Takao Doi, a former International Space Station astronaut, told the BBC his team are “very concerned” about the miniscule “alumina particles” that accumulate in Earth’s atmosphere when satellites return.

These particles can remain in the atmosphere for “many years,” he added. In contrast, the wooden satellites would allegedly burn up in a cleaner way.

The researchers are keeping the specific types of wood they are using a secret. Still, it is understood they are set to trial different types thanks to their partnership with Sumitomo Forestry.

Japanese researchers say satellites polliute the atmosphere when they burn up (Image: PaulFleet / Getty)

However, some analysts have hit out at the reports. John Timmer, a reporter for tech news site Ars Technica, has claimed the wooden housing “won’t help” eliminate the issue of space junk.

Mr Timmer claimed the satellite housing only makes up “a fraction” of the material used in the satellite overall, and that other vital components such as boosters constitute “a lot of the junk” in space.

Elsewhere other analysts suggest wooden satellites could have benefits aside from ‘green’ re-entry incineration.

READ: US Space Force dismisses viral ‘Guardians’ of the galaxy outfit as fake

Some analysts suggest a wooden satellite exterior could have benefits for communication (Image: Jonathan Herbert I JH Images / Getty)

Nikkei Asia claims wood would not act as a barrier for electromagnetic waves.

This suggests wooden satellites wouldn’t need to make use of external antennas to communicate, “allowing for simpler structures”.

In any case, the issue of space pollution is not a new one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mir “scared” of repeating Lorenzo’s Honda MotoGP failure

Image
The 2020 world champion switched to the factory Honda squad for this season after Suzuki quit the series at the end of last year. Mir is the fifth different rider in six years to partner Marc Marquez at Honda, following Dani Pedrosa in 2018, Lorenzo in 2019, Alex Marquez in 2020 and Espargaro in 2021/2022. Pedrosa’s final year was his first winless one in MotoGP , while Lorenzo’s MotoGP career was effectively ended by the woes he suffered at Honda. Alex Marquez has since departed to Gresini Ducati having struggled at LCR Honda over the last two years. Mir’s season has been a shocker so far having scored just five points from the first five rounds in a generally tough year for Honda – albeit one in which Alex Rins did win the Americas GP for LCR. Following a double crash at the French GP, Mir admits he is “scared” of suffering the same fate as Lorenzo and Espargaro at Honda given the difficulties he currently faces. “For sure I’m scared , for sure, because I want to win,” h
Read more

A black hole is observed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope twisting a star into a “donut.”

Image
Astronomers have watched as a black hole tears a star into a “ donut ” and then eats it. The process is one of the most violent and extreme in the universe: when a star gets too close to a black hole, it tears it up, eating the star but also spewing radiation out. It is known as a “tidal disruption event”. Scientists have watched as that happens, using the Hubble Space Telescope to record the final moments of the star as it was eaten up. Researchers hope to use the observations and other like it to better understand what happens when a star falls into the abyss and is torn apart in such a way. Nasa’s Hubble Space Telescope is unable to see the process as it happens, since the new example is almost 300 million light years away. But they can see the light that is thrown out when it does happen, and examine that light for the clues to what happens to the star. Researchers have seen many such examples of tidal disruption events around black holes. About 100 of them have been do
Read more

DQ The 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator: A Muscle Car Icon

Image
The year 1969 was a pinnacle moment in the History of American muscle cars. It was a time when horsepower ruled the roads, and automakers com Pet ed fiercely to produce high-performance vehicles that would capture the hearts and imaginations of car enthusiasts. In this era of automotive excellence, one car stood out as a true icon of its time: the 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. With its sleek design, powerful engine options, and a host of performance enhancements, the Cougar Eliminator became a legend in the world of muscle cars. In this article, we’ll delve deep into the History , design, performance, and legacy of the 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. The Birth of the Cougar To understand the significance of the 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator, we must first trace the origins of the Mercury Cougar itself. The Cougar was introduced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company in 1967 as a luxurious and sporty alternative to the Ford Mustang. Designed to attract
Read more