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> biodegradable and will burn up upon reentry Why does "biodegradable" matter? It seems "burn up upon reentry" is the more relevant part of this, in which case
by dheera 3y ago
> biodegradable and will burn up upon reentry
Why does "biodegradable" matter? It seems "burn up upon reentry" is the more relevant part of this, in which case doesn't anything, even metal and rock, burn up upon reentry?
- Apocryphon 3y agoTwo paragraphs below: > Traditional satellites, built with aluminum, release harmful particles when they re-enter Earth's atmosphere, potentially damaging the delicate ozone layer, the World Economic Forum reported.
- dheera 3y agoAre these harmful particles aluminum-specific or general to all metals? What if it was carbon fiber, titanium, thin sheet steel, or some nontoxic plastic? Wood is a really odd choice, as it is not a very uniform and predictable material to work with, and it seems "reduce detrimental effects on the ozone layer" is the real constraint, rather than biodegradability. For things on land that decompose rather than burn up, it may be true that "reduce toxic effects on soil and the ecosystem" == "biodegradability", but it's not obvious to me that this applies to something burning up in the atmosphere. Burning wood isn't particularly great for the ozone layer either (c.f. forest fires).