this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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The timber satellite has been built by researchers at Kyoto University and the logging company Sumitomo Forestry in order to test the idea of using biodegradable materials such as wood to see if they can act as environmentally friendly alternatives to the metals from which all satellites are currently constructed.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Are they going to send the fungus, microorganisms, heat source, and water up too?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I'm a simple man. If I see a space cube, I think borg!

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't wood traveling at orbital speed still annihilate anything it hits?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

Apparently alumina from reentering satellites depletes the ozone layer.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This doesn't seem to be space junk type pollution which is what space pollution is usually talking about. I guess this would be too minimize upper atmosphere metallic particles over the ocean? I haven't heard of that being an issue, but maybe if there were many times more satellites than there are today it would become an issue?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, this is to reduce atmospheric pollution when satellites deorbit, which is a separate problem from ensuring satellites deorbit in the first place. I hadn't heard that being an issue, but can see how it could be once the first generation of megaconstellation satellites (Starlink, Kuiper, and Guowang) reach the end of their life.

Incidentally Japan + Rocket Lab just launched a spacecraft to collect data for future orbital rendezvous and deorbit missions.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Looks like the research into upper atmosphere metallic contamination hasn't been studied much yet, they just know it's becoming more prevalent, but don't know that problems that creates yet. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2313374120

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I mean.. Wooden satellites or no, it's still polluting space if it it doesn't deorbit within a reasonable time frame.

The pollutants generated upon reentry are a drop in the ocean compared to big oil and Taylor swift.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

According to the article, the alumina (?) from satellites burning up depletes the ozone layer.

Or it could be marketing from a timber company. πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Or the entire timer industry.

Or as some call it: Big Wood.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

Your mum knows about big wood....

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm getting a strong Outer Wilds vibe from this title :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

@gaael hey cool, hadn't seen that game!

OPs article reminds me of the original draft for Alien 3 which was apparently set on a monastery planet made out of wood.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It was my favorite game of 2023 :)

If you intend to pick it up, don't read/watch anything about it, the best part of the game is discovering the mechanisms and universe as you go ;)

Didn't know that about Alien 3, TIL :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

@gaael okay, will go in cold if I get it! Thanks for the rec!

Just found the original concept art for the wooden planet in Alien 3, interestingly it's called Ligna as well.

@Jakra @kakes

[–] [email protected] 36 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Ngl that's a really interesting idea.

Also, there's a typo in the article. They call it both "LignaSat" and "LignoSat," but I'm reasonably confident the actual name is "LigmaSat."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Lignin is a major protein in wood, so LignoSat or LignaSat would make sense. LigmaSat loses that relationship with wood. I think LignoSat is probably correct.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Ligma deez nutz!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Not much, whats up with you?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nothing, what's a ligma with you?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Ligma deez ice creams LOL GOTTEM