Your average satellite recently is roughly on par with regards to size along with your average lounge, give or take, and so naturally the pricetag of lofting one into orbit is, in case you\’ll pardon the phrase, sky high. Despite that, many offer less processing power a mobile processor like Snapdragon. The apparent solution? Chuck a smartphone into orbit and enjoy the savings. That\’s the postulate behind the PhoneSat, helped along by the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation, which strapped a Nexus One into a rocket with 1,000lbs of thrust and threw it up to 28,000 feet to look how it copes with the immense stress of riding into space. For sure, 28,000 feet isn\’t quite space (NASA would have run out of astronaut badges some time past), but the G-forces and temperature cycles felt during this short trip are such as a one-way voyage to orbit. The first such launch didn\’t go so well, with the rocket suffering a ballistic return — coming in like a projectile without a \’chute. The shattered remains of which might be shown above. But, the second flight was much more successful, and the video results might be seen below — captured by the phone itself.
NASA activates Robotnaut 2 on board the ISS, watch it live (video)
Sony prepping power outlet that demands payment, identification
