1 . The future of space exploration may depend on an art form from the past: origami (折纸艺术), the ancient art of paper folding.
Researchers from Washington State University (WSU), US have used origami to possibly solve the problem of storing and moving fuel to rocket engines, a key challenge in space travel, according to Newswise. They’ve developed a foldable plastic fuel “bladder (囊状物) “resistant to super cold temperatures, which could be used to store and pump fuel in spacecrafts of the future. Their findings have recently been published in the journal Cryogenics.
“Folks have been trying to make bags for rocket fuel for a long time,” said Jake Leachman, one of the lead researchers. “We currently don’t do large-scale and long-duration trips because we can’t store fuel long enough in space.”
Meanwhile, NASA is also looking to paper folding to help observe distant planets. The agency is currently developing Starshade, a foldable, sunflower-shaped piece of hardware that would help block starlight and enable telescopes to view distant objects more clearly in space.
“A huge part of my job is looking at something on paper and asking, ‘Can we fly this?’” Manan Arya, a technologist in California, said. “Once I realized this is how you fold spacecraft structures, I became interested in origami. I realized I was good at it and enjoyed it. Now, I fold constantly.”
Using origami for space purposes isn’t new, however. Solar arrays (太阳能阵列), experimental wings for space shuttle programs and an inflatable satellite were also inspired by origami in both past and present space projects.
“With most origami, the magic comes from the folding,” Robert Salazar, who helped design the Starshade and now works on the Transformers project, said in a statement. “There are so many patterns to still be explored.”
1. What is one of the features of the “bladder”?| A．It can help store solar energy. |
| B．It is made of a few kinds of metal. |
| C．It can resist extreme cold temperatures. |
| D．It can adjust temperatures in a spaceship. |
| A．On account of energy problems. |
| B．Owing to lack of oxygen in space. |
| C．Due to great changes of temperatures. |
| D．Because of the driving force of rockets. |
| A．They need to be improved. |
| B．Origami was the inspiration for them, too. |
| C．There is much more to be explored in space. |
| D．They belonged to quite advanced technology then. |
| A．Key challenge in space exploration |
| B．Past and present space projects |
| C．Folding for space exploration |
| D．Ancient art of paper folding |
Developing Space technology, worthwhile or not?
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