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Travel Bug Dog Tag WISA WOODSAT - The first wooden satellite in the world

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Owner:
Voutar Send Message to Owner Message this owner
Released:
Wednesday, 12 May 2021
Origin:
Finland
Recently Spotted:
In the hands of the owner.

This is not collectible.

Use TB9GB8G to reference this item.

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Current Goal

WISA WoodsatTM 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. This Travelbug orbits the earth once every 1.5 hours and travels at the speed of 28,000 km/h (17,400 mph). 

About This Item

WISA Woodsat

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. 

Gallery Images related to WISA WOODSAT - The first wooden satellite in the world

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Tracking History () View Map

Write note 05/16/2023 Voutar posted a note for it   Visit Log

Greetings from the WISA Woodsat HQ! (May 2023)

After the announcement of WISA Woodsat satellite trackable (TB9GB8G) mid August 2021, we have over 6000 people on the watch list waiting to log the trackable and score an FTF!

The WISA Woodsat satellite was originally scheduled to launch by the end of 2021 but due to delays in obtaining a dedicated radio frequency, the space operation permitting processes have taken more time than expected.

Our original plan was to use a radio amateur frequency for communicating wiht the satellite. With that we would have been able to allow radio amateurs to communicate with the satellite directly and for example download pictures from space. The international radio amateur union declined the frequency request and we had to launch an application process for a commercial frequency. Since the frequencies are a limited natural resource, the queue is long and it takes time to obtain one. So, we are still waiting.

Since the frequency process does not have a definite deadline, it is impossible to predict, how long it takes. Therefore, instead of setting a new target date for launch, we are merely in waiting pattern and ready to proceed as soon as the process moves forward. The plan is still to launch with Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from New Zealand.

You can follow WISA Woodsat project progress on https://wisawoodsat.space. We have blogs and videos showing how the satellite materials are made, how they are machined, and tested. You can also find WISA Woodsat on Instagram and Twitter with the handles @wisawoodsat and #wisawoodsat.

Write note 02/13/2022 Voutar posted a note for it   Visit Log

Greetings from the WISA Woodsat HQ!

After the announcement of WISA Woodsat satellite trackable (TB9GB8G) mid August 2021, we have over 6000 people on the watch list waiting to log the trackable and score an FTF!

The WISA Woodsat satellite was originally scheduled to launch by the end of 2021 but due to delays in obtaining a dedicated radio frequency, the space operation permitting processes have taken more time than expected.

The new goal is to have the satellite launched in the first half of 2022. The plan is still to launch with Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from New Zealand.

The delay in the schedule is not all bad. We have had time to integrate more technology into WISA Woodsat and we recently made a second stratosphere flight to test the camera boom radio controls and other satellite functionalities. Images of the flight train can be found on the satellite website.

The most common question we get is, how can you log the satellite trackable. I have added the instructions to the trackable page https://coord.info/TB9GB8G. The thing to note is that you can only do that AFTER the satellite has been launched. The trackable code is only visibile in the photos taken by the satellite itself with its selfie-camera.

You can follow WISA Woodsat project progress on https://wisawoodsat.space. We have blogs and videos showing how the satellite materials are made, how they are machined, and tested. You can also find WISA Woodsat on Instagram and Twitter with the handles @wisawoodsat and #wisawoodsat.

Write note 08/09/2021 kinsella10 posted a note for it   Visit Log

Greetings from NY

Write note 08/09/2021 Team JuGe posted a note for it   Visit Log

Guten Flug

Write note 08/09/2021 Chrisamel20 posted a note for it   Visit Log

Bon voyage, à bientôt pour de nouvelles histoires

Write note 08/08/2021 didiak22 posted a note for it   Visit Log

bon voyage !

Write note 08/08/2021 AccufaceX posted a note for it   Visit Log

Intressant, gute Reise kleiner Würfel.

Write note 08/08/2021 just2nutz posted a note for it   Visit Log

watching good luck

Write note 08/08/2021 OhTheHueManatee posted a note for it   Visit Log

Watching! Good luck!!

Write note 08/08/2021 WazzaAndWenches posted a note for it   Visit Log

Watching

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