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Origami spaceplane
By Martin English | January 22, 2008
Researchers from the University of Tokyo have teamed up with members of the Japan Origami Airplane Association to develop a paper aircraft capable of surviving the flight from the International Space Station to the Earth’s surface.
Testa of a prototype were scheduled to start on January 17. The Space Shuttle shaped origami glider will be subjected to wind speeds of Mach 7, or about 8,600 kilometers (5,300 miles) per hour in an ultra-high-speed wind tunnel at the University of Tokyo’s Okashiwa campus (Chiba prefecture).
Now, the Space Shuttle can reach speeds of up to Mach 20 (over 15,200 mph) when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, so friction with the air heats the outer surface to extreme temperatures. On the other hand, researchers claim the much lighter origami aircraft will come down more slowly, and so is not expected to burn up on re-entry.
I would guess that the plane will is being built using paper clay, which can take temperatures of around 1000 Centigrade. There has been some research undertaken by the UNSW sydney australia.
Topics: Humour, People, Toys | No Comments »
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