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Countless paper planes have been launched across classrooms from the hands of mischievous schoolboys; now Japanese scientists are preparing to unleash a high-tech version from 250 miles (400 km) above the Earth.

After successfully testing them this week, aeronautical engineers from Tokyo University believe the planes, made from heat-resistant paper treated with silicon, will survive the fiery descent back to Earth when they are released by a Japanese astronaut on the international space station later this year

The planes, designed by the Japan origami airplane association, survived temperatures of 250C (482F) and winds speeds of Mach 7 - seven times the speed of sound - during their 30-second flight inside the university's hypersonic wind tunnel.

"Paper planes are extremely light so they slow down when the air is thin and can gradually descend," Prof Shinji Suzuki, who heads the team, told Reuters.

More… Guardian