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Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to Astronomy@mander.xyzEnglish · 2 years ago

NASA and Japan to launch world's 1st wooden satellite as soon as 2024. Why?

www.livescience.com

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NASA and Japan to launch world's 1st wooden satellite as soon as 2024. Why?

www.livescience.com

Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to Astronomy@mander.xyzEnglish · 2 years ago
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The magnolia wood LignoSat is an attempt to make space junk biodegradable. NASA and Japan's space agency (JAXA) could launch it as soon as 2024.
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  • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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    2 years ago

    Wood doesn’t burn or rot in the lifeless vacuum of space, but it will incinerate into a fine ash upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere — making it a surprisingly useful, biodegradable material for future satellites.

    Don’t metal ones burn up fine?

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      No, actually. Metal doesn’t burn up, it melts to slag and disintegrates, but the metal particles don’t become gas the way carbon does. Then you just have a bunch of a space debris and reactive, aerosolized metal particles knocking around the upper atmostphere. Aluminum Oxide ash can float to the ground, or it can cause ozone decomposition. We’re not entirely sure which is worse based on the amount coming back from satellites, but the number of satellites we’re sending up is increasing rapidly. So it wouldn’t hurt if they were a little less toxic.

    • remotelove@lemmy.ca
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      2 years ago

      For the most part, yes. The problem is pollution, like aluminum oxide.

      Here is an article that explains better than I ever could: https://www.space.com/air-pollution-reentering-space-junk-detected

  • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Sounds like a radical achievement if they pull it off.

    Nobody else could say they built a wooden space machine and put it into orbit successfully

  • Seth@mander.xyz
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    2 years ago

    The dream of wooden pirate starships becomes reality!

  • MamboGator@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    The cube mockup looks like someone recently watched Hellraiser IV.

  • Batman@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I’m curious what kind of fasteners they use

    • Zorque@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      Self-sealing stembolts.

    • Smuuthbrane@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      Probably dowels, maybe some glue. Doubt they would use threaded fasteners for a demonstration like this.

      • Batman@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Darn. Could have been big ammunition in the Phillips vs straighthead war.

        • Smuuthbrane@sh.itjust.works
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          2 years ago

          Ugh, Robertson all the way.

          • Kata1yst@kbin.social
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            2 years ago

            Hex socket!

            • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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              2 years ago

              Torx.

              The only one actually engineered for its application.

              • Kata1yst@kbin.social
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                2 years ago

                Proprietary sacrilege. I ain’t paying extra for a shape. Not to mention, which Torx? There are literally half a dozen varieties.

                • Mac@mander.xyz
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                  2 years ago

                  Source? I can only think of half a half a dozen.

            • Smuuthbrane@sh.itjust.works
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              2 years ago

              Acceptable.

              • Kata1yst@kbin.social
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                2 years ago

                https://giphy.com/gifs/arnold-schwarzenegger-predator-pHb82xtBPfqEg

  • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    Awe, a little baby Borg cube! Are they going to put an AI on that?

  • AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    deleted by creator

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