Wood In Space

Noodling around the interwebz recently I came across an article about building space satellites from wood.  Not your ordinary concept, I must say.

Japanese pairing looking into using wood to build satellites (techxplore.com)

In a way it reminds me of the books associated with virtually every material science/history division, wherein the argument is invariably made that the author’s favorite material is THE basis for all of civilization.  In the world of wood one totem is A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization.  As I reflect on it and similar works of technological development, I note that it takes a special talent to render the fascinating and vibrant realm of history into something sterile and unconsumable.  But somehow our educational system manages that difficult task.  And the more I delve into the world of Roubo the more fascinated with the past I become.

I am currently working my way through Pursuit of Power: Technology, Armed Force, and Society since A.D. 1000 by William  H. McNeill.  His books are a slow read, not because they are difficult but rather because they are so dense and require frequent pauses to digest.  Much like reading the Minor Prophets of The Bible, the human themes presented are more current than tomorrow’s headlines.