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  • Brits launch paper plane into space, show depth of their national debt

    by 
    Vlad Savov
    Vlad Savov
    11.11.2010

    It used to be that British engineering enthusiasts would send entire cars up into space, but not in today's age of austerity. No sir, all you're getting this time is a paper plane. A trio of amateur space junkies has successfully lifted and released a paper glider from a height of 90,000 feet, earning itself the glory of being the first to ever conceive of and execute the feat. It took them a year to perfect the vessel, named the Vulture 1, and they used a helium balloon to get it to the requisite height before achieving a relatively bump-free landing 23 miles from the launch site. The whole thing has produced some pretty nice imagery, which you may check out at the source link below, and some inevitable gloating from the Reg crew, who were behind the whole thing and can also be found in the More Coverage section.