Posted on Jun 18, 2021
Where No Plywood Has Gone Before: A Space Agency Will Launch A Tiny, Wooden Satellite
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https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/ [login to see] /plywood-satellite-wood-woodsat-european-space-agency-esa
Earth-orbiting satellites usually end their lives in a fiery reentry — but a tiny CubeSat scheduled for launch by the European Space Agency later this year might put off a warmer glow than most in its final moments.
That's because WISA-Woodsat is made mostly out of plywood.
It's not such a crazy idea: Since it became widely available about a century ago, plywood has been prized for its strength, rigidity and durability — three things that are good in a spacecraft.
Earth-orbiting satellites usually end their lives in a fiery reentry — but a tiny CubeSat scheduled for launch by the European Space Agency later this year might put off a warmer glow than most in its final moments.
That's because WISA-Woodsat is made mostly out of plywood.
It's not such a crazy idea: Since it became widely available about a century ago, plywood has been prized for its strength, rigidity and durability — three things that are good in a spacecraft.
Where No Plywood Has Gone Before: A Space Agency Will Launch A Tiny, Wooden Satellite
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