If you thought that the problem of earth's pollution only occurred at the earth's surface, think again. There is a huge garbage problem in planet Earth's atmosphere and it all comes from the stuff we keep sending out there.
According to the World Economy Forum, there are nearly 6,000 satellites orbiting our planet. About 60 percent of these satellites are no longer functional and unused. Basically, these dead satellites become space junk floating around and present various dangers to Earth's atmosphere.
To solve this problem, Japanese logging and wood processing company Sumitomo Forestry Co. has teamed up with Kyoto University to design and build a satellite made of wood. They hope to make a working prototype by 2023.
The two will work together to experiment with different types of wood and test them in extreme environments on Earth (to mimic conditions very similar to those that satellites will encounter when they are launched into orbit), such as extreme temperature changes accompanied by exposure to sunlight and unfiltered radiation.
Kyoto University professor and Japanese astronaut Takao Dai explained to the BBC that wooden satellites have a major advantage over satellites made of metal. If they fall out of orbit and catch fire while re-entering the atmosphere, they won't release a lot of harmful particles and debris.
With more and more satellites launched into space each year, experts have sounded warnings about the various dangers posed by the massive debris from these satellite wrecks.
Apart from space debris that re-enters the atmosphere and falls to Earth, this garbage is also a threat to other normal satellites due to the potential for collisions. This will only create more trash in the earth's skies.
Further reading
MIT News
