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Tuesday January 22, 2008 11:36 am
ISS To Lauch Paper Airplane
Sometimes we wonder about too much time on scientists’ hands when we hear that some of them from the University of Tokyo have been working in conjunction with the Origami Airplane Association to create a paper airplane that can survive a flight from the ISS into Earth’s atmosphere. Having begun testing a 3.1-inch prototype in a wind tunnel, the glider, which is shaped like the Space Shuttle, has been exposed to wind speeds of Mach 7 (5,300 mph.)
Although no launch date has been set, Professor Sinji Suzuki says he hopes a message of peace will be written on it before launch, since they don’t know exactly where it will land. We think that should be if, considering it may burn up before it reaches home.
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| Pink Tentacle
- Related Tags:
- iss, paper airplane, scientists origami, space shuttle, space station, university of tokyo
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Comments:
Interesting ... I wouldn’t think that it would burn up, because the ratio of the weight to wing area is so high. It should just float down, once it gets to where it has enough atmospheric pressure to support the wings.
Too bad there’s not a micro camera on it.
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Thats pretty cool. It seems like the moisture in the upper atmosphere would cause it to become un-folded.
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