ORIGAMI IN SPACE: Paper Re-Entry Vehicle Okayed For Testing

Japanese scientists and origami masters hope to launch a paper airplane from space and learn from its journey back to Earth.

A prototype passed a durability test in a wind tunnel this month and Japan's space agency adopted it Wednesday for feasibility studies.

A successful flight from space by an origami plane could have far-reaching implications for the design of re-entry vehicles or space probes for upper atmospheric exploration, said project leader Shinji Suzuki, a professor at Tokyo University's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

In a test outside Tokyo in early February, a prototype about 2.8 inches long and 2 inches wide survived Mach 7 speeds and broiling temperatures up to 446 degrees Fahrenheit in a hypersonic wind tunnel.

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