NASA�s PhoneSat mission launches successfully
Posted on: 24/Apr/2013 2:43:41 PM - No. of views : (2217)
NASA has successfully launched three smartphones into space to snap images of Earth, and the handsets may prove to be the lowest-cost satellites ever flown into space.
The goal of NASA�s PhoneSat mission is to determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be used as the main flight avionics of a capable, yet very inexpensive, satellite.
�Smartphones offer a wealth of potential capabilities for flying small, low-cost, powerful satellites for atmospheric or Earth science, communications, or other space-borne applications,� said Michael Gazarik, NASA�s associate administrator for space technology.
The hardware for this mission is the Google-HTC Nexus One smartphone running the Android operating system.NASA added items a satellite needs that the smartphones do not have a larger, external lithium-ion battery bank and a more powerful radio for messages it sends from space. The smartphone�s ability to send and receive calls and text messages has been disabled.
