<p>The plane, with a wing span of three feet and made of paper straws, was launched using just a large helium balloon.<br /><br />The craft soared to 90,000 feet before the balloon exploded, after which the plane glided back to the ground, taking photographs as it descended.<br /><br />Named Operation PARIS (Paper Aircraft Released Into Space), the project cost £8,000, reports the Daily Mail.<br /><br />It was the work of space enthusiasts Steve Daniels, John Oates and Lester Haines, who said they came up with the idea after being inspired by an equally ingenious project — of sending a lump of cheese into space.<br /><br /> The team launched the balloon from a remote spot around 50 miles west of Madrid. It took an hour and a half to climb to 90,000 feet, before bursting.<br /><br />The team tracked the plane using a GPS navigation system as it took another 90 minutes to glide back to earth and landed in woodland 100 miles from the release point. But for a hole in a wing, their creation was undamaged.<br /><br />Software consultant Daniels, 42, of Paignton, Devon, said the team had embarked on the project “for a laugh”. Although they spent around £8,000 to make it a success, he said he would happily do it all again.<br /><br />The married father of two added: “Somebody launched a bit of cheese out of a balloon, which we thought was a bit stupid. We thought we could do something more technical than that.<br /><br />First time<br /><br />“We decided to launch a paper plane because nobody has done that before. It seems really silly but it was brilliant fun.”<br /><br />He told Sky News Online: “We did it because we wanted to see if we could — and we could!<br /><br />“We expected a few niggles and thought that the plane would come back to earth in bits but it was all in one piece.<br /><br />“It’s a world first, I believe. I understand the Australians are going to challenge us and we look forward to that. But we did it first!”<br /><br />The three enthusiasts got together after discussing the project on tech website The Register.</p>
<p>The plane, with a wing span of three feet and made of paper straws, was launched using just a large helium balloon.<br /><br />The craft soared to 90,000 feet before the balloon exploded, after which the plane glided back to the ground, taking photographs as it descended.<br /><br />Named Operation PARIS (Paper Aircraft Released Into Space), the project cost £8,000, reports the Daily Mail.<br /><br />It was the work of space enthusiasts Steve Daniels, John Oates and Lester Haines, who said they came up with the idea after being inspired by an equally ingenious project — of sending a lump of cheese into space.<br /><br /> The team launched the balloon from a remote spot around 50 miles west of Madrid. It took an hour and a half to climb to 90,000 feet, before bursting.<br /><br />The team tracked the plane using a GPS navigation system as it took another 90 minutes to glide back to earth and landed in woodland 100 miles from the release point. But for a hole in a wing, their creation was undamaged.<br /><br />Software consultant Daniels, 42, of Paignton, Devon, said the team had embarked on the project “for a laugh”. Although they spent around £8,000 to make it a success, he said he would happily do it all again.<br /><br />The married father of two added: “Somebody launched a bit of cheese out of a balloon, which we thought was a bit stupid. We thought we could do something more technical than that.<br /><br />First time<br /><br />“We decided to launch a paper plane because nobody has done that before. It seems really silly but it was brilliant fun.”<br /><br />He told Sky News Online: “We did it because we wanted to see if we could — and we could!<br /><br />“We expected a few niggles and thought that the plane would come back to earth in bits but it was all in one piece.<br /><br />“It’s a world first, I believe. I understand the Australians are going to challenge us and we look forward to that. But we did it first!”<br /><br />The three enthusiasts got together after discussing the project on tech website The Register.</p>
