Bees in Space: GotG25

How will we pollinate plants in space? Join Emma the Space Gardener to discover why future space crops will need pollination, and how that might be achieved. And learn the history of bees in space, and whether our buzzy friends will be joining us on future space missions.

Hello, and welcome to episode 25 of Gardeners of the Galaxy, the podcast for all of the sentient beings in the Universe who have a passion for plants. I am Emma the Space Gardener, and I will be your host as we explore gardening on Earth… and beyond!

In this episode, I’m going to be giving you the buzz on bees in space. But before we get to that, let’s catch up on the space news and then I’ll answer another listener question in the FAQ section.

The world’s first wooden satellite is due to launch into a polar orbit on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket in November 2021. WISA Woodsat is a CubeSat designed by Arctic Astronautics, a Finnish company manufacturing CubeSat kits for students. The mission’s primary aim to is test the behaviour and durability of plywood panels in space.

Woodsat chief engineer Samuli Nyman explains that the base material for plywood is birch, and the satellite uses basically the same material that’s used to make furniture. However, as ordinary plywood is too humid for space applications, Arctic Astronautics place their wood in a thermal vacuum chamber to dry it out. The final step uses atomic layer deposition to add a very thin aluminium oxide layer. A pair of onboard cameras will monitor any changes to the plywood in flight.

Woodsat will carry a radio payload allowing amateurs to relay radio signals and images around the globe. To downlink data from this ‘LoRa’ radio link involves buying a ‘ground station’ costing as little as 10 Euros