Oragami in outer space?

Can you believe it?? Just like the ones I used to make at 20 cm and 30 grams - maybe i should have practiced how to make paper gliders more at school? Now the teachers have no excuse to give their students detentions for making paper gliders in science class!

From Times Online
February 7, 2008
"In a bold bid to take the traditional art of origami beyond the Final Frontier, Japan is planning to release a huge squadron of paper aeroplanes in outer space.
The trailblazing experiment, slated for launch later this year, could see around 100 paper planes raining down on the planet as they are captured by the Earth’s gravitational pull and sucked down towards the surface...

The experiment would, if successful, qualify for the longest ever flight by a paper plane: if one of the fleet should miraculously make it to earth, its journey will have been around 400km.
If any do make it back, the planes are statistically most likely to land in the sea - performing the same “splashdown” as the Apollo space missions. In the unlikely event that one floats down to solid ground, the lucky finder will be able to unfold the plane and discover the return address at the Japan Space Agency....

There is serious scientific intent behind the plan. Japan believes that if the paper planes are successful, they may open possibilities of using softer, lighter materials for constructing space craft.
Japan’s recent relationship with outer space has been controversial. In December, the Japanese Government was asked in parliament to produce a position paper on the existence of UFOs, prompting the chief cabinet secretary, Nobutaka Machimura, to declare his belief that aliens are “definitely” out there.
Later the same day, Yasuo Fukuda, the Prime Minister, separately told reporters, ”I have not yet confirmed” the existence of UFOs.


For the rest of the story:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3325822.ece

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