Art & creativity6–8 · 9+
Origami in Space
Scientists use origami ideas to fold panels for space!
Why?
Spacecraft need very big solar panels to get power from the Sun, but rockets don’t have much room inside. So how do you fit something huge into a small space? Fold it, like origami!
Scientists at NASA worked with an origami artist to design a round solar panel that folds up small, then opens in space like a blooming flower. Their design was about 2.7 meters wide when folded, but could open up to 25 meters wide!
Try it
Take a big sheet of paper 📄 and fold it back and forth like a fan: fold, flip, fold, flip! See how small it gets? Now pull the ends and watch it open up big again, just like a solar panel opening in space!
Ask Mum & Dad
What other things fold up small and open big? (An umbrella? A tent?)