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You can soon log the world’s first wooden satellite, WISA WoodsatTM
WISA Woodsat is a research satellite with a mission to do material research in space. More specifically, explore the use of WISA-Birch plywood in spacecraft structures.
Plywood is a natural composite material and for decades it has been used as a structural material in many demanding industrial applications such as aircraft structures and propellers, windmill blades, as well as truck, trailer, and bus floors. WISA-Birch plywood is also used in LNG tanker ship insulation elements where the material needs to handle -163C (-261F) freezing temperatures. Plywood is strong and easy to work with and therefore the most common use of plywood is in buildings where the panels are used for creating load-bearing floors, walls, and roofs.
Heat, cold, and moisture are normal elements on the Earth’s surface but in space, the material faces different challenges. WISA Woodsat has two specific research focus areas - “super drying” and outgassing caused by the vacuum in space and harsh unfiltered UV radiation.
The satellite carries a suite of sensors to measure changes in the wood material. But the primary way of observation is a camera, which is mounted on a unique selfie stick. The camera enables monitoring of the visual changes in the wood material. But, for the Geocaching community, the selfie camera has an alternative purpose.
WISA Woodsat travels around the Globe once every 1.5 hours, making it an ultimate Travel Bug. You can log WISA Woodsat by finding the tracking code from the pictures, which the satellite has taken with its selfie camera.
How can I log this trackable if I am not traveling to space myself?
No worries, we have set up a downlink to Earth which allows you to log the trackable from the safety of your own planet.
WISA Woodsat has two cameras. The primary camera is on a "selfie-stick" and it is taking pictures of the satellite. The other one is inside the satellite body taking pictures of the environment. You can log the satellite trackable by finding the tracking code, which is hidden in plain sight on the images taken by the satellite.
After the satellite has been launched, go to wisawoodsat.space and browse through the satellite image gallery. The tracking code will only be visible in the photos taken by the satellite itself.
Please note that Geocaching HQ and the owner of the trackable are giving explicit permission to log this trackable virtually.
WISA Woodsat launch schedule - updated May 2023
WISA Woodsat satellite is planned to be launched from New Zealand with Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. The schedule is open due to delays caused by the required permitting processes.
You can follow the latest news on WISA Woodsat Instagram and wisawoodsat.space website.
Add TB9GB8G to your Watch list to be notified with the very latest information.
IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT write a log when you add the trackable to your Watch list. If you do so, the log will be sent as a mass mail to everyone else who signed up to the Watch list.
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