Japanese scientists are testing a paper airplane for a mission in space. The airplane will be set loose in space and will be tracked here on Earth. They want to see how it behaves and what they can learn from it's behavior as it (if it) returns to Earth.
boston.com
The idea is to use info from the flights in designing future space shuttles. The problem is that there is no way to track the airplanes.
Quote:Findings from the paper shuttles' flight could be used in developing new lightweight space probes that would study the upper atmosphere, Miyazaki said. The results also could help in designing a full-scale shuttle that re-enters the atmosphere slowly to reduce fiction and heat, said Suzuki.
Suzuki and Toda plan to write a message of peace on the planes in several languages, along with a request for anyone spotting them to notify the team.
"Just imagine, children around the world would be anxiously waiting for the return of our origami shuttle, perhaps looking up into the sky from time to time," Suzuki said. "That would be great fun."
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