By Xinhua
Beijing : Japanese scientists hope to send into space a craft made in the tradition of Japan’s ancient art of paper folding and learn from its trip back to Earth, media reported Friday.
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.
“It sounded like a simply impossible, crazy idea,” Suzuki said. “I gave it some more thought, and came to think it may not be ridiculous after all, and could very well survive if it comes down extremely slowly.”
A prototype about 7.5 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide survived Mach 7 speeds and broiling temperatures up to 233 degrees C in a hypersonic wind tunnel — conditions meant to approximate what the plane would face entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Having survived the 12-second test with no major damage or burns, the tiny plane theoretically could get back to Earth because re-entry from outer space involves passing through several layers that last only a few seconds each, said Osamu Imamura, a scientist who works with Suzuki.
The proposal faces just one challenge, but it’s a potentially crippling one: There is no way to track the paper craft or predict when or where it may land.
“You may think it’s impossible, but we scientists are all extremely interested. I think it’s a great experiment,” said a Nihon University engineer.
“No matter how it turns out, a paper craft flight from space would tell us many things,” the engineer said. “The fact that a paper shuttle has endured the harsh environment in the lab tests also provides valuable data for future aerospace technology.”