Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's episode: a Taiwanese barista shows off his coffee-making skills,
and the world's first wooden satellite.

And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's first coffee shop.

Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________

台灣咖啡師 表演頂級虹吸技巧
Taiwanese Barista Shows Off World-Beating Siphoning Skills

A 33-year-old barista (咖啡師) from Taiwan is 'making waves' in the coffee
world (在咖啡界掀起風潮).

His name is Chang Wei-shin (張維欣).

In October, he won the top prize at the World Siphonist Championship in
Tokyo, Japan.

Sorry, I'm a bit out of the loop!

What's the World Siphonist Championship?

Is it like a magic trick or something?

I've never heard of it.

It's a competition for coffee experts who use weird-looking glass pots
(怪異的玻璃壺) to brew coffee (泡咖啡).

It looks like a chemistry experiment (化學實驗).

Chang impressed the judges by brewing six cups of coffee at the same time
using a special vacuum coffee maker called a siphon (虹吸式咖啡壺).

Then in November, Chang demonstrated (展示) his winning method in Taichung.

Chang said his coffee-making process is actually inspired (啟發) by chemistry.

He said he has loved coffee since graduating from university.

This led him to enter the coffee industry.

His passion and dedication pushed him to join coffee competitions.

He entered the World Siphonist Championship in 2018, but he placed second.

He trained even harder for this year's contest.

He started preparing in May, working on his coffee-making skills.

In the month before the championship, he trained for eight to nine hours each
day and even spent a week in Tokyo to get ready.

One of Chang's secrets to success was his use of a unique ceramic filter
(特別的陶瓷過濾器).

This helped him make a coffee with a distinct flavor (特別的味道).

Chang believes every great coffee maker should have a "personal trademark
(個人標誌)".

That's a unique style that sets them apart from the crowd (讓他們與眾不同).

This helped him capture the judges' attention and win the championship.
________________________________

世界第一枚木造衛星送上太空
World's First Wooden Satellite Launched into Space

Satellites (衛星) are normally made out of metal (金屬).

But one special satellite has been made from wood (由木頭製造).

It's called LignoSat, and was launched into space (發射到太空).

In fact, it's the world's first wooden satellite to be launched into space!

It was created by Japanese researchers from Kyoto University.

They wanted to see if wood could be useful (有用) for building in space.

It was launched on (發射於) a SpaceX rocket and will orbit Earth
(環繞地球軌道) from the International Space Station (國際太空站).

The satellite was built without screws or glue (螺絲或膠水), using a
traditional Japanese technique.

Scientists believe that in space, wood may last longer.

Why?

Well, space has no water or oxygen.

In other words, there's nothing to cause it to rot or catch fire.
太空沒有甚麼東西可以讓木頭腐爛或著火。

So maybe future space equipment might include more wood instead of metals.
所以未來太空設備可能包含更多木頭，而不是金屬。

Not all parts of LignoSat are wooden.

It still has metal structures and electronic parts.
它仍然具有金屬結構和電子零件。

LignoSat also has sensors (感測器) to track how well the wood holds up in
space over six months.
它還配備了感測器，以追?木材在太空中的耐用性長達六個月。

Scientists say using wood in space is a good idea for sustainability (永續性).

Wood is renewable.
木材是可再生資源。

This means it can be grown, unlike metals that need to be mined (開採).

Wood has actually been used in space before.

Some spacecraft use 'cork' to protect the outside during re-entry to Earth.
一些太空船使用軟木在重返地球大氣層時保護外部。

But there are challenges.

Wood can be difficult to manage because it doesn't always behave the same way
under pressure.
木頭可能比較難控制，因為它在壓力下的表現並不總是相同。

Experts also wonder if wooden satellites would be practical, because they
might still need extra materials to work well in space.

If wood works out, it might offer a cleaner building material for spacecraft.
________________________________

So in today's News Bites:

A 33-year-old Taiwanese barista won the World Siphonist Championship in Tokyo.

Chang Wei-shin impressed the judges with his precise coffee-making technique
using a siphon, a specialized glass pot.

He trained rigorously to achieve his goal.

Chang's use of a unique ceramic filter contributed to his victory and set him
apart from other competitors.
________________________________

And...

A wooden satellite called LignoSat was launched into space by Japanese
researchers.

It's the first wooden satellite ever launched and is designed to test the
durability of wood in space.

Wood is a renewable resource and may be more sustainable than metals for
building in space.

While there are challenges, successful use of wood in space could lead to
cleaner and more environmentally friendly spacecraft.
_______________________________

趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit

And in today's Tasty Tidbit:

The world's first coffee shop is believed to be Kiva Han.

It opened in Constantinople in the early 16th century.

That's modern-day Istanbul.

It served as a gathering place for locals and travelers, offering them a
space to enjoy the newly discovered drink and engage in lively conversations.

20241118NB.mp3