Avião de papel espacial

Avião de papel espacial
A CNN informa
sobre o último feito
da tecnologia
japonesa. Para
quem quiser
experimentar (na
Terra) inclui-se um
modelo de avião de
papel retirado de
um calendário de
origamis.
Japan aims to
launch paper plane
in space
CNN - March 27,
2008 -- Updated 0514
GMT (1314 HKT)
KASHIWA, Japan
(AP) -- 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 boiling temperatures up to 446 degrees Fahrenheit in
a hypersonic wind tunnel.
Fonte: Blog De Rerum Natura
Março 2008