HIGH-TECH OLYMPICS

HUMAN-MADE METEOR SHOWERS

As part of the opening ceremony of the 2021 Olympics, start-up company ALE will carry out a unique outer-space spectacular in the form of a human-made meteor shower. Rather than throwing rocks out of the window of a space rocket, orbiting microsatellites called ALE-1 and ALE-2 will release chemical pellets into the atmosphere. As they burn up on entry into the atmosphere, the pellets will emit a colour, creating the appearance of shooting stars from the ground.

Satellites

Both ALE-1 and ALE-2 are equipped with sensors to detect altitude, so they know when and where to release meteor shower-producing particles.

Release

Travelling at maximum speeds of 400 metres per second, both satellites will release one-centimetre particles of non-toxic material that burn bright when entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Trajectory

ALE’s operating system will calculate the precise trajectory of the fake meteor shower to ensure it can be seen from the Olympic Stadium.

Debris

After entering Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of 50 miles, the pellet particles will vaporise before they can hit the ground.

FLYING CARS

In 2017, Japanese car manufacturer Toyota invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in flying-car company Cartivator to create the SkyDrive: a personal flying car that operates not unlike a domestic drone,