Initial stability quickly turned into thermal chaos – “on paper,” of course.
Two Tokyo University researchers recently explored a very curious issue: what would happen if we launched a paper plane from the International Space Station (ISS)?
To answer the question, Maximilien Berthet and Kojiro Suzuki did not resort to astronauts to throw the origami by the station’s hatch, but rather combined detailed computational simulations and tunnel tests.
The experience simulated the behavior of a paper plane made from an A4 sheet – with only four grams and made up of cellulose and kaolinitis – launched from the low terrestrial orbit, about 400 kilometers in altitude.
During the early days of the fall, the paper plane shows aerodynamic stability, remaining oriented with the nose facing the frontthanks to the way it is bent. This initial descent, still at high altitudes, takes place relatively calmly.
A turbulence comes at about 120 kilometers of altitude: Increases air resistance and paper ship begins to rotate uncontrollably. The friction causes the paper to warm quickly and get combustion.
To validate the computational models, the investigators tested a scale version of the plane in a hypersonic wind tunnel in Tokyo, exposing it to winds to over 1,000 meters per second (Mach 7), explains the. The test showed that The tip of the plane deform, darkened and the edges of the wings were burned, but the structure remainedalbeit for a short time.
The authors of the study, published in the magazine, did not only do so for curiosity: they suggest that biodegradable materials such as paper can be useful in sustainable space missions, avoiding the accumulation of orbit debris. The lightness and sensitivity of a paper plane could also allow passive measurements of atmospheric density at difficult altitudes.
