The Register Plans To Launch Paper Airplane In Space

At some point in your life, you've probably thrown a paper airplane. But, just throwing it from your desk is small beans to a team at The Register, who have come up with an idea to not only throw a paper airplane, but to do it in space. The launch is called PARIS, and it was originally scheduled to launch on Saturday, but it has now been pushed back until Sunday due to weather, and other troubles.

The paper airplane is called the Vulture 1, and it will be carried into the air up to 66,000 feet. Once it reaches the designated height, the payload will automatically launch the fragile plane, where it can then start its descent back towards the Earth. Of course, just dropping a paper airplane from that height is one thing, but it's only worth it if you catch it on camera. That's why the team has put a small camera on the plane itself, to record the fall. It will also have a GPS locator on it, making sure that the team can keep tabs on their creation.

Once the payload reaches a height of 100,000 feet, the weather balloon that carried it up into the air will burst, and the payload will fall back onto the Earth. In the box, the team has left additional cameras and tracking systems. The PARIS (paper airplane released into space) launch was actually postponed due to inclement weather, and therefore the team has been forced to wait until Sunday to launch the Vulture 1 from Spain. What's worse, though, is that their chase vehicle was actually struck down with electrical problems (which meant the team had to ride donkeys back to their temporary office).

Unfortunately, the specifics may keep the airplane from actually making it "into space." For those who know, it's generally considered that 262,000 feet is the start of space. And, the 66,000 feet that the Vuluture 1 will start its descent from, is just a bit higher than what jets reach on intercontinental flights. So, can this really be considered a space flight for a paper airplane? You be the judge.

[via DVICE]