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Author
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Topic: From the ISS to Earth: Origami spaceplane to be launched from space station
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 12300
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted January 16, 2008 02:00 PM
   
Asahi via Pink Tentacle:
Origami spaceplane to launch from space station quote:
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.The researchers are scheduled to begin testing the strength and heat resistance of an 8 centimeter (3.1 in) long prototype on January 17 in an ultra-high-speed wind tunnel at the University of Tokyo’s Okashiwa campus (Chiba prefecture). In the tests, the origami glider — which is shaped like the Space Shuttle and has been treated to withstand intense heat — will be subjected to wind speeds of Mach 7, or about 8,600 kilometers (5,300 miles) per hour. A large spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle can reach speeds of up to Mach 20 (over 15,200 mph) when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and friction with the air heats the outer surface to extreme temperatures. The much lighter origami aircraft, which the researchers claim will come down more slowly, is not expected to burn up on re-entry. No launch date has been set for the paper spaceplane, but Shinji Suzuki, an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Tokyo, is thinking ahead. "We hope the space station crew will write a message of peace on the plane before they launch it," says Suzuki. "We don’t know where in the world the plane will land, but it would be nice to send a message to whoever finds it."
Unless of course, it, um, lands in the water...IP: Logged |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 1250
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted January 16, 2008 02:50 PM
I hope they write..."Please return to Tim Gagnon Titusville, FL" IP: Logged |
LCDR Scott Schneeweis
Member Posts: 923
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted January 16, 2008 03:10 PM
Its not clear from the write-up if the Japanese will use supplemental propulsion to support timely deceleration/reentry or if they are going to just wait quite a while for nature to take its course...------------------
Scott Schneeweis
http://www.SPACEAHOLIC.com/ IP: Logged |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 12300
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted January 21, 2008 10:27 PM
Some additional details from New Scientist:
Origami spaceplane aims for space station descent quote:
A paper plane might not seem ideally suited to space travel, but a Japanese engineering professor is collaborating with origami masters to design a small paper spacecraft that could be launched from the International Space Station and survive a descent to Earth.A prototype was successfully tested in a wind tunnel last week. "This origami airplane might some day actually fly," says Jim Longuski, an expert in aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, in the US.
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Jonjonzilla
Member Posts: 24
From: Cork City Ireland
Registered: May 2007
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posted January 22, 2008 07:11 AM
Mach 7 paper Airplane....Kick @ss John John (Member of Cardmodels.net) IP: Logged |
Bernasconi
New Member Posts: 1
From: San Diego, CA
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted April 07, 2008 04:55 PM
I am coordinating a paper airplane festival here in San Diego and would love to be able to include something like this in it. Does anyone know the design or have the instructions for this space exploring paper airplane? Thanks!IP: Logged |
LCDR Scott Schneeweis
Member Posts: 923
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted April 07, 2008 05:00 PM
Try contacting one of the designers - Shinji Suzuki at tshinji@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp------------------
Scott Schneeweis
http://www.SPACEAHOLIC.com/ IP: Logged |
