NASA To Put Android Smartphones Into Tiny Satellites http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/08/27/nasa-to-put- android-smartphones-into-tiny-satellites/
While not as sexy as the Curiosity rover currently exploring Mars, NASA's plans to put Android smartphones in space as part of the Ames Research Center nanosatellite project is very cool indeed. The project, called PhoneSat, will see a Nexus One handset put at the heart of a small satellite. Add batteries and a radio beacon and you have a tiny satellite packed into a 10cm x 10cm x 10cm footprint for the low price of $3,500. The Nexus One acts as the satellite's onboard computer, with its sensors being used to determine the orientation of the spacecraft while the camera can be used for Earth observations. Commercial-off-the-shelf parts are used to augment the smartphone, including a "watchdog circuit" that is used to monitor the Android device and reboot it in the event of a problem. The Nexus One has already passed a lot of tests to make sure that it has "the right stuff" to go into space. NASA has successfully tested the diminutive PhoneSat in various extreme environments, including thermal-vacuum chambers, vibration and shock tables, sub-orbital rocket flights and high-altitude balloon tests. The first Android-powered satellite is expected to be launched later this year on the Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket, and if successful, it will be followed up by a more powerful nanosatellite based around the Nexus S smartphone which will feature a 2-way radio, solar panels and GPS receiver. _______________________________________________ Please be sure to include a URL to the article. Reply to the sender with a "Thank you" if you like this post. _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
