I'm an aerospace engineer. I analyze structures for a deep space satellite. From this article it's hard to see cases where wood would make more sense than our typical Al, Ti, and composites....
I'm an aerospace engineer. I analyze structures for a deep space satellite.
From this article it's hard to see cases where wood would make more sense than our typical Al, Ti, and composites. Material cost is not typically a big driver unless you're talking about really highly specialized stuff that isn't used on a large scale. And we have very stringent acceptance criteria for even well-known alloys and fibers - I don't see wood supplanting those any time soon.
None of which is going to stop me from putting a wooden space station into my Stars Without Number game, let me tell you. Just for the WTF factor from my players if nothing else.
None of which is going to stop me from putting a wooden space station into my Stars Without Number game, let me tell you. Just for the WTF factor from my players if nothing else.
Ooh, a Kevin Crawford game fan. It's off topic, so I'll send you a PM, but I'm looking at RPG systems right now, and I'd love to get your insights. (I'm looking at worlds without number, though).
Ooh, a Kevin Crawford game fan. It's off topic, so I'll send you a PM, but I'm looking at RPG systems right now, and I'd love to get your insights. (I'm looking at worlds without number, though).
Just a thought - but what if you were looking to make a disposable/single-shot mini satellite, especially as a lower budget operation like a university or even a high school. Might the savings on...
Just a thought - but what if you were looking to make a disposable/single-shot mini satellite, especially as a lower budget operation like a university or even a high school. Might the savings on material costs and launch weight might be enough to make the difference between it being affordable or not?
I guess there's probably a pretty good saving on manufacturing too, you need a lot less gear and skills to work with wood than high end aerospace materials. I could probably build a woodsat in my shed, less so a Ti/Al alloy.
I don't imagine any of the big space players will be moving to wood any time soon, but it might lower the bar a little for everyone else.
I'm wondering if a wooden structure might be able to evade (or make much more difficult) detection from the ground. I can imagine "stealth" satellites that mostly disintegrate on re-entry would be...
I'm wondering if a wooden structure might be able to evade (or make much more difficult) detection from the ground.
I can imagine "stealth" satellites that mostly disintegrate on re-entry would be a very useful tool if you had, for example, territorial disputes with an aggressive neighbour constantly harassing you and your other neighbours whilst also developing their own space capabilities.
I don't see why. You're not exactly going to be tracking objects up there with a metal detector. Visible light and radio waves both still get reflected by wood. And even spy satellites kind of...
I don't see why. You're not exactly going to be tracking objects up there with a metal detector. Visible light and radio waves both still get reflected by wood. And even spy satellites kind of give away their position when they transmit. As far as I know their locations aren't secret, just their capabilities.
Edit: I may have spoken too soon about the RADAR part. Wood does reflect RADAR, but it's not very good at it. The US Coast Guard actually issued an advisory about it after a near collision between a large ship and a small wooden vessel that was partially caused by the RADAR based collision warning system on the big ship not seeing the smaller ship until it was too late.
There is also the case that wood is relatively delicate and more vulnerable to harsh natural forces compared to hard metal. What if a stray meteor or space dust hits this satellite? Isn't the...
There is also the case that wood is relatively delicate and more vulnerable to harsh natural forces compared to hard metal. What if a stray meteor or space dust hits this satellite? Isn't the wooden material more prone to catch fire or get damaged in these cases?
Damage, yes. But fire requires oxygen and space is famously very light on oxygen. Although I'm not sure that matters - on Earth when things get hit by bullets then don't tend to catch fire, do...
Damage, yes. But fire requires oxygen and space is famously very light on oxygen.
Although I'm not sure that matters - on Earth when things get hit by bullets then don't tend to catch fire, do they? As I understand it the energy of the bullet is mostly spent on breaking the material it's hitting rather than becoming heat by friction.
I think the main risk of other objects in space hitting your stuff is that they will break the stuff being hit. Wood is probably not very effective armour against micrometeorites, which even though small, can be very high energy. They'd probably just go straight through the wood and then the risk is they smash up your internal components.
Although that said, modern engineered wood products can have some amazing properties, so maybe the right laminate would stand up to the stress. Weave some kevlar in there and it could be seriously strong..
If something in orbit hits a satelite it's pretty doomed regardless of what it's made out of. Kinetic energy is 1/2mv^2 - it scales quadratically with velocity, and things in orbit are moving...
If something in orbit hits a satelite it's pretty doomed regardless of what it's made out of. Kinetic energy is 1/2mv^2 - it scales quadratically with velocity, and things in orbit are moving REALLY quickly.
Also, someone else brought it up, but wood can't burn in a vacuum. Oxygen is required for the chemical process of burning. Rockets come with oxidizing agents - that is, they bring their own oxygen.
I'm an aerospace engineer. I analyze structures for a deep space satellite.
From this article it's hard to see cases where wood would make more sense than our typical Al, Ti, and composites. Material cost is not typically a big driver unless you're talking about really highly specialized stuff that isn't used on a large scale. And we have very stringent acceptance criteria for even well-known alloys and fibers - I don't see wood supplanting those any time soon.
None of which is going to stop me from putting a wooden space station into my Stars Without Number game, let me tell you. Just for the WTF factor from my players if nothing else.
Ooh, a Kevin Crawford game fan. It's off topic, so I'll send you a PM, but I'm looking at RPG systems right now, and I'd love to get your insights. (I'm looking at worlds without number, though).
Just a thought - but what if you were looking to make a disposable/single-shot mini satellite, especially as a lower budget operation like a university or even a high school. Might the savings on material costs and launch weight might be enough to make the difference between it being affordable or not?
I guess there's probably a pretty good saving on manufacturing too, you need a lot less gear and skills to work with wood than high end aerospace materials. I could probably build a woodsat in my shed, less so a Ti/Al alloy.
I don't imagine any of the big space players will be moving to wood any time soon, but it might lower the bar a little for everyone else.
I'm wondering if a wooden structure might be able to evade (or make much more difficult) detection from the ground.
I can imagine "stealth" satellites that mostly disintegrate on re-entry would be a very useful tool if you had, for example, territorial disputes with an aggressive neighbour constantly harassing you and your other neighbours whilst also developing their own space capabilities.
I don't see why. You're not exactly going to be tracking objects up there with a metal detector. Visible light and radio waves both still get reflected by wood. And even spy satellites kind of give away their position when they transmit. As far as I know their locations aren't secret, just their capabilities.
Edit: I may have spoken too soon about the RADAR part. Wood does reflect RADAR, but it's not very good at it. The US Coast Guard actually issued an advisory about it after a near collision between a large ship and a small wooden vessel that was partially caused by the RADAR based collision warning system on the big ship not seeing the smaller ship until it was too late.
There is also the case that wood is relatively delicate and more vulnerable to harsh natural forces compared to hard metal. What if a stray meteor or space dust hits this satellite? Isn't the wooden material more prone to catch fire or get damaged in these cases?
Fire in space ? Where does the oxygen comes from ?
When meteor hits an object, it creates friction. Doesn't that friction result in a fire or some damage at the very least?
Damage, yes. But fire requires oxygen and space is famously very light on oxygen.
Although I'm not sure that matters - on Earth when things get hit by bullets then don't tend to catch fire, do they? As I understand it the energy of the bullet is mostly spent on breaking the material it's hitting rather than becoming heat by friction.
I think the main risk of other objects in space hitting your stuff is that they will break the stuff being hit. Wood is probably not very effective armour against micrometeorites, which even though small, can be very high energy. They'd probably just go straight through the wood and then the risk is they smash up your internal components.
Although that said, modern engineered wood products can have some amazing properties, so maybe the right laminate would stand up to the stress. Weave some kevlar in there and it could be seriously strong..
If something in orbit hits a satelite it's pretty doomed regardless of what it's made out of. Kinetic energy is 1/2mv^2 - it scales quadratically with velocity, and things in orbit are moving REALLY quickly.
Also, someone else brought it up, but wood can't burn in a vacuum. Oxygen is required for the chemical process of burning. Rockets come with oxidizing agents - that is, they bring their own oxygen.
Very disappointed to see an obvious Midjourney composite as the title image rather than, you know, the hardware in question