Paper Airplane To Be Launched From Space Station

It is not uncommon for me to get several hits a week on an article I wrote a few months back concerning my grandchildren flying paper planes off the balcony in our Crestline home. Included in that column were drawings and references to an article by Michael O’Reilley Build the Best Paper Airplane in the World. Seems lots of people–big ones and little ones–are interested in really neat paper airplanes.

HIKOKI Paper Company

Well, I don’t know if Mr. O’Reilley is about to be bumped from his position as master paper airplane builder or not, but those brilliant Japanese people have planned a paper airplane deployment in space. In November, the tiny plane will be launched from the International Space Station. Its destination? Earth!

In November, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakta will send a paper airplane soaring through space to see if it can survive the descent to earth, the World Aeronautical Press Agency reports.

Aeronautical engineers at the University of Tokyo are hoping their endeavor will lead to a new form of space flight. The 7.8-inch plane will be treated with chemical agents to prevent it from bursting into flames. According to the report, tests performed in a wind gallery suggest it could be successful. The plane will launch from the international space station and is expected to reach a speed of Mach 20.

“With this experiment we will try to study a new model of space airplane,” said professor Shinji Suzuki, the lead engineer on the experiment, reportedly inspired by the Japanese paper-folding art of origami, specifically an idea from Takuo Toda of the Japan Origami Plane Association.

This picture and much of the information for this column is taken from Avionews.

Come next November, we’ll be scanning the heavens in hopes of seeing the tiny origami paper plane, launched from the International Space Station, and winging its way to a designated landing spot on planet earth. Hope someone spots it.

____________________________________________________________________

My devotional blog is here.