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,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(可充气的) 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."
How could the "bladder" help in future missions? ______
A. To protect spacecrafts from extreme weather.
B. To help rocket engines cut energy consumption.
C. To be used to store and supply fuel in spacecrafts.
D. To be used to improve energy efficiency.
What can we know about NASA's Starshade? ______
A. It can be used to get telescopes closer to stars.
B. It can help telescopes get clearer pictures of objects in space.
C. It can absorb a star's light before it enters telescopes.
D. It can enlarge the view of telescopes in space.
What is this text? ______
A. A travel journal.
B. A science report.
C. A digest.
D. An advertisement.
Which can be the suitable title for the text? ______
A. Folding into space.
B. The art of paper folding.
C. Space exploration.
D. The origami-inspired projects.