Over the years, space junk has become a growing problem for the Earth’s atmosphere. Of the approximately 6,000 satellites orbiting our planet, about 60 percent of them are now defunct and unused, and this junk presents many hazards to our atmosphere. To address this problem, the Japanese logging and wood processing company, Sumitomo Forestry Co., has teamed up with Kyoto University. Their goal: to design and build wooden satellites. They aim to have working prototypes by 2023.
Both will work together to experiment with different types of wood and test them in extreme environments on Earth, emulating conditions quite similar to those faced by satellites launched into orbit – such as severe changes in temperature and unfiltered exposure to sunlight and radiation.
Kyoto University professor and Japanese astronaut Takao Dai explained to the BBC that wooden satellites held one major advantage over their counterparts made from metal – should they fall out of orbit and burn up upon re-entering the atmosphere, they won't release as many harmful particles and dangerous debris.
"We are very concerned with the fact that all the satellites which re-enter the Earth's atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years," he said, also adding that "eventually, it will affect the environment of the Earth."
Cool!
(Image Credit: BBC/ Mashable)
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Nice idea, but how much of existing satellites are structure and how much is internal/active mechanism?
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