We mentioned a few years ago that Japan planned to build and deploy wooden satellites. The first of these, dubbed LingoSat, arrived on Tuesday at the International Space Station on a SpaceX vehicle. Space.com describes it as a small cube--just four inches on a side. It's a substantial innovation in space exploration because that it is made of wood.*
Most satellites are made of aluminum, which causes environmental damage when satellites burn up in the atmosphere at the end of their use. The designers at Kyoto University and a Japanese logging firm hope that wood components can offer practical alternatives to metals.
-via Marginal Revolution
*This is, by the way, why witches burn.
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White Zombie knew what was up
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