Final Frontier for Origami Paper Planes

Countless paper planes have been launched across classrooms by the hands of mischievous pupils. Now scientists are preparing to unleash, from about 250 miles above Earth, a hi-tech plane - made from the same material.

Aeronautical engineers from Tokyo University believe planes made from heat-resistant paper treated with silicon will survive the fiery descent back to Earth after they are released by an astronaut on the International Space Station this year.

In tests, during a 30-second phase inside the university's hypersonic wind tunnel, the planes, designed by the Japan Origami Airplane Association, survived temperatures of 250C (752F) and wind speeds of mach 7 - or seven times the speed of sound.

"Paper planes are extremely light so they slow down when the air is thin and can gradually descend," said Shinji Suzuki, the professor who leads the team.

The engineers believe the technology could one day be adapted for use in unmanned spacecraft.

For now their more modest aims are to set a world record for the longest flight by a paper plane and to encourage children's interest in science.

The planes weigh about 30g (1oz) and are 20cm (8in) long and shaped like the Space Shuttle. While the 100 or so tiny aircraft stand only a slim chance of making a landing after starting their journey in November, they will carry messages in several languages and a request to be sent back to Japan - the conventional way - should they be picked up by anyone.

"It's going to be the space version of a message in a bottle," Suzuki said.