logo
Origami Space Planes Could Solve a Major Problem in Orbit

Origami Space Planes Could Solve a Major Problem in Orbit

Gizmodo19-07-2025
Building a spacecraft could one day be as simple as folding a piece of paper into a plane and letting aerodynamics do the rest. A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo simulated the release of a paper airplane from the International Space Station (ISS) to see if would survive atmospheric reentry.
In a paper published in Acta Astronautica, the researchers demonstrated how origami may be the solution to low Earth orbit's growing trash problem. Rather than relying solely on metals to construct spacecraft, the team behind the paper argues that a standard sheet of paper could do the job instead and easily burn up in the atmosphere during reentry. For their study, the researchers created a paper plane with an aluminum tail and placed it in a wind tunnel to see how it would fare in space. The idea is simple, and it aims to show how organic materials can be used to create a more sustainable orbital environment.
The origami space plane is made from a sheet of uncoated A4 printing paper, with folded layers at the nose to shift its center of mass upstream and ensure aerodynamic stability. 'Such spacecraft have not yet flown in space,' the paper reads. 'It is unclear whether their flight dynamics in the highly rarefied atmosphere in [low Earth orbit] would be similar to those of a usual ground-based origami plane, and whether the plane would survive or burn up during atmospheric entry.' Of course, the entire spacecraft wouldn't be made solely of paper. Instead, specific components—like a wing or drag sail—could be constructed from paper-based materials.
To test it out, the researchers first created a simulation of the paper plane being launched from the ISS at an altitude of 248 miles (400 kilometers) and a speed of 17,448 miles per hour (7,800 meters per second). The paper plane remained stable and glided through the space-like conditions. It began to tumble at a lower altitude of 74 miles above Earth's surface (120 kilometers) and spun out of control. The tumbling motion is expected at this altitude, and the severe aerodynamic heating would result in the paper plane burning up in the atmosphere at around 55 to 58 miles (90 to 110 kilometers) altitude, according to the paper.
The researchers then placed a physical model in the Kashiwa Hypersonic and High Enthalpy Wind Tunnel at the University of Tokyo to see how it would hold up during reentry conditions. They subjected it to Mach 7 speeds for about seven seconds, during which the plane's nose bent and the wings showed signs of charring. It didn't fully disintegrate, though, but it most likely would have had they kept it in there for a longer period of time, the researchers said.
Upon atmospheric reentry, traditional spacecraft leave behind metallic particles and chemicals that damage the ozone layer. The paper plane, on the other hand, is made of organic material that doesn't pose an environmental threat. Still, there are some challenges that remain. Considering how small the paper plane is, it does not reflect radar strongly enough and would be hard to track in orbit. The researchers suggest equipping it with a miniaturized position, navigation, and timing transceiver. It's also extremely sensitive to aerodynamic drag and therefore can only spend so much time in orbit, so it can be used for short-duration missions with small payloads.
The origami space plane will likely not be a good fit for a wide range of missions, but the researchers suggest a version of it could be used as a passive probe to measure atmospheric density or as a platform for low-cost and short-lived missions in low Earth orbit. 'Owing to the extremely low cost of a paper space plane, multiple deployments could be conducted at the same time, and repeated at regular intervals, providing simultaneous distributed measurements,' the scientists explained in their paper.
The idea of a childlike space plane gliding through the atmosphere may seem too simple, but using paper on spacecraft could help us resolve the overpopulation of metal crowding low Earth orbit and disintegrating into chunks of space scrap.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

5-Grass SLIT Shows Benefit in Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis
5-Grass SLIT Shows Benefit in Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis

Medscape

time23 minutes ago

  • Medscape

5-Grass SLIT Shows Benefit in Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis

TOPLINE: Five-grass-pollen liquid sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) reduced symptoms and the need for medications to treat symptoms in patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) with or without asthma — while maintaining a favorable safety profile and providing consistent benefits across ages, comorbidities, and treatment durations. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of five-grass-pollen liquid SLIT in patients with ARC with or without asthma. Nine studies comparing the efficacy of interventional immunotherapy with that of placebo in this population were included. The key outcomes comprised symptom severity, assessed as the symptom score; a reduction in medication use, assessed as the medication score; and the incidence of adverse events (AEs). TAKEAWAY: A pooled analysis of eight studies showed a significant reduction in symptom score in the interventional immunotherapy group vs the placebo group (standardized mean difference [SMD], -0.34; 95% CI, -0.62 to -0.06; P < .05) over a mean follow-up of 19 months. Analysis of data pooled from six studies showed a significant reduction in use of drugs for symptoms in the interventional immunotherapy group vs the placebo group (SMD, -0.54; 95% CI, -0.97 to -0.10; P < .05) over a mean follow-up of 20 months. AEs occurred in 20.6% of participants in the interventional immunotherapy group vs 17.5% in the placebo group (P = .46), with treatment discontinuation rates due to AEs of 3.0% and 1.8%, respectively (P = .41). Treatment efficacy remained consistent regardless of cumulative dose, treatment duration, or asthma status. IN PRACTICE: '[The findings] suggest that the dose of five-grass SLIT-liquid can be safely adjusted for better adverse event management without compromising treatment outcomes,' the authors of the study wrote. 'This flexibility makes it possible to tailor treatment according to the patient's condition while addressing their needs and expectations,' they added. SOURCE: Danilo Di Bona, with the University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on July 17 in the Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology. LIMITATIONS: The analysis had a relatively small sample size, variation in dosages and treatment durations across studies, and incomplete reporting of AEs in some studies. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by Stallergenes Greer, a pharmaceutical company. One author declared receiving fees from this company. Some authors reported receiving consulting fees; payments or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events; or support for attending meetings or travel and serving on data safety monitoring boards or advisory boards for various pharmaceutical companies. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

More Data Cement COVID's Impact on Patients With Cancer
More Data Cement COVID's Impact on Patients With Cancer

Medscape

timean hour ago

  • Medscape

More Data Cement COVID's Impact on Patients With Cancer

TOPLINE: New data confirm the impact COVID infection can have on patients with cancer and identified several risk factors associated with hospitalization and death. Receipt of chemotherapy as well as a baseline history of stroke, atrial fibrillation, or pulmonary embolism were each associated with nearly double the risk for COVID-related hospitalization. Prior vaccination halved this risk. Older age and earlier hospitalization were associated with a greater risk for death. METHODOLOGY: Patients undergoing active cancer treatment are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 due to immunosuppression, but risk factors for hospitalization and death are not well-defined. Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study involving 1572 patients with cancer (median age, 60 years; 53.4% women), enrolled within 14 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test; participants had received active treatment for cancer within 6 weeks before testing or had undergone prior stem cell transplant or CAR T-cell therapy. Patient screening and enrollment took place between May 2020 and February 2022. Treatments included chemotherapy (34.3%), targeted therapy (27.7%), and immunotherapy (10.6%). Breast (23.6%) and lung (13.9%) cancers were the most common cancer types. Overall, 64% of participants had metastatic disease, and at enrollment, 64% had not received a COVID vaccine. Study outcomes were COVID-related hospitalization or death. Risk factors for hospitalization and for death among hospitalized patients were evaluated separately. TAKEAWAY: At 90 days after an initial positive test, COVID-related mortality was 3% and remained stable at subsequent follow-ups. The highest incidence occurred in patients with lymphoma, followed by those with acute leukemia or lung cancer; the lowest incidence occurred in those with other types of solid tumors and blood cancers. Hospitalization for COVID-19 occurred in 18.4% of patients within 90 days of enrollment. The risk for hospitalization was elevated among patients who received chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR], 1.97) and those with a history of stroke, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary embolism (HR, 1.78). Vaccination prior to infection reduced the risk for hospitalization by nearly half (HR, 0.52). Hospitalization for COVID-19 within 30 days of infection was associated with an increased risk for death (HR, 14.6). Among patients hospitalized for COVID within 30 days, age 65 years or older was the only significant predictor of COVID-specific death (HR, 3.49). Over the 2-year follow-up, there were 1739 disruptions to cancer treatment; 50.7% of these were attributed to COVID-19, and most occurred within 30 days of a positive test. IN PRACTICE: 'The data from this prospective cohort study confirm and expand previous retrospective case series that have found factors, including hematologic cancers, chemotherapy receipt, and lung cancer, as associated with COVID-19 severity,' the authors of the study wrote, noting that the results 'showed that COVID-19 had a significant impact on patients with cancer, including hospitalization, treatment disruptions, and death.' SOURCE: This study, led by Brian I. Rini, MD, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, was published online in JAMA Oncology. LIMITATIONS: Information on specific strains was not available. This study lacked a control group of patients without COVID-19, which limited causal inference. Additionally, as participants were enrolled through the National Cancer Institute trial networks, generalizability to a broader population could be limited. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded in part by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and the National Cancer Institute National Clinical Trials Network, Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network, and Community Oncology Research Program grants via the U10 funding mechanism. Several authors declared receiving grants and/or personal fees and having other ties with various sources. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

On Singapore visit, IAEA head addresses nuclear waste and energy plans
On Singapore visit, IAEA head addresses nuclear waste and energy plans

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

On Singapore visit, IAEA head addresses nuclear waste and energy plans

SINGAPORE – Mr Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was in Singapore on July 25 to meet leaders and deliver a public lecture at NUS. To mark his first visit to Singapore, he also met the local media for an hour-long interview at Shangri-La Singapore. A range of issues were discussed, including on nuclear waste, Asia's bid to harness more nuclear energy and China's nuclear reactor manufacturing. Here are his takes. Q: What are the possible options for nuclear waste disposal in Asean? A: Mr Grossi said there are a number of steps involved in the proper disposal of nuclear waste. 'In the case of a nuclear power plant, for quite a long period, the spent fuel is stored at the site of the nuclear power plant,' he said. Spent fuel refers to nuclear fuel that has been removed after being used in a nuclear reactor. Used fuel is normally stored underwater – with the practice known as wet storage – for at least five years, before it is moved to dry storage, according to the World Nuclear Association. 'Eventually, with time, with decades passing, countries start to look into a final repository,' Mr Grossi said. The IAEA helps countries to determine this through a process known as siting, he added. 'What is done here is a very thorough geological analysis to determine which place (in) a country has geological conditions that would allow for the storage of a few containers of spent fuel that are going to be there without any leaks or without affecting the environment.' Q: What is the appetite for nuclear energy in Asia and South-east Asia? A: Mr Grossi said there is 'a lot of activity' in the region, citing Japan, China and South Korea as examples of countries that are ramping up their nuclear energy capacities. On Asean, he said: 'There is a real interest. I don't know if they're going to be able to deploy (nuclear energy) by the early 2030s, but they are going in that direction.' During a public lecture he delivered at the National University of Singapore on July 25, Mr Grossi said countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam are also planning to have nuclear power plants. 'On the feasibility of each case, (the IAEA) will be seeing it individually. We will be engaged, and we are,' he said. 'The issue of the timeline is a national thing.' The UN nuclear body has a method to assist countries that are considering or planning their first nuclear power plant. The IAEA also guides them through the process, from the decision-making to final investment and construction. Q: China is building small modular reactors. Is this the latest technology for nuclear power plants? A: Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced and compact reactors that can be factory-assembled and installed in dense urban areas. They are also known to be safer than traditional large reactors, but are currently still in a research phase. Noting that Chinese technology is 'very developed', Mr Grossi said China might be one of the potential vendors of SMRs for Singapore if the Republic decides to tap nuclear energy. 'I think that China is perhaps the fastest-growing country in terms of the number of units being built at this point in time, and that creates a lot of expertise and a lot of experience,' he said. According to the IAEA's website, China operates 58 civil nuclear reactors and has almost 30 new builds in progress. This represents nearly half of all power reactors currently under construction worldwide. The nation is expected to leapfrog the US to become the world's largest atomic energy generator by the end of the decade, Bloomberg reported in April. Q: How does the IAEA strike a balance between its two roles as the international authority for nuclear power and as the global watchdog for nuclear security? A: Mr Grossi said that the IAEA is an impartial institution. 'I think every country that is operating normally and safely and with no proliferation concerns is a member of the IAEA in good standing,' he said. Nuclear non-proliferation refers to efforts aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology. He added that these countries are transparent and undergo inspection by IAEA. They also carry out safety and security reviews and participate actively in the regulatory activities. 'The IAEA is an impartial institution that is there in support,' Mr Grossi said, adding that the institution will share best practices and advice with countries. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store