Posted by What is the future of origami combat aircraft? To find out the answer to this question, I combed the Internet and went to public libraries. To my surprise, I found an article that gives me an insight into a pioneering future application of origami planes.
Japanese scientists, working closely with the Japan Kite Association, have designed a prototype spacecraft made of special chemically treated paper that is resistant to extreme heat and wind. This prototype survived many tests simulating the conditions of outer space. Some of the tests include placing the paper spacecraft under speeds of Mach 7 and temperatures of 230 degrees Celsius inside a high-speed, hypersonic wind tunnel. This means that the light weight and special paper technology addresses the problems of heat and friction, allowing the paper spacecraft to re-enter the atmosphere and gradually descend to Earth. The research team took another step to ask a Japanese astronaut to launch this kite from the space station and it may take several months for the kite spaceship to return to Earth. Once this technique is proven, the origami technique can be used for unmanned spacecraft in the future.
But again, many spacecraft and combat aircraft developments have been put on hold along the way due to technology or financial constraints. Indeed, some of the development of fighter jets are so secretive that what we hear are rumors or leaked news. One such example is the Aurora (also known as the SR-91 Aurora).
The Aurora is an unconfirmed American reconnaissance aircraft believed to have been developed in the 1980s and 1990s to replace the SR-71 Blackbird. It is also believed to be capable of flying above the speed of sound at speeds of up to Mach 4-6, possibly reaching nearly Mach 10 in high-altitude flights.
News of its manufacture was made in 1990, with Aurora being used as a code name for a variety of projects, perhaps that should lead to the production of hypersonic aircraft for the military. The presumed contractor, Lockheed, which also developed the F-117A Stealth fighter/bomber and U2 Dragon Lady, likely actually used a $4-5 billion budget.
Many sightings and observations have been made since the supposed development and prototype period in the 1980s, both by personnel and meteorological sensors.
As an intriguing subject shrouded in secrecy, Aurora has been featured in popular games and other media including the computer game Command & Conquer: Generals, the movie Falcon Down, and the Area 51 novel.
Aurora has always intrigued me for years as I developed an origami model of it. Having done research on future applications of origami, my wildest dream was to see the Aurora Origami model I was developing on Mars and back to Earth. This is no longer an impossible dream. who do you know