In an experimental study, NASA has sent three HTC Nexus One Smartphones into space just to see what happens to them.
NASA seems to prefer Androids to iPhones. The space agency chose three HTC Nexus One smartphones to space, just to see what becomes of them.
So, it's safe to say that currently there are three smartphones circulating in space at an altitude of 150 miles. They were launched into orbit Sunday and currently are taking photos of the Earth from space with the help of PhoneSats, also known as the smartphone nanosatellites.
According to a report by Los Angeles Times, not only do scientists want to observe what happens to these smartphones when in Space, the launch is also part of a mission that NASA hopes would help them build satellites for less than $10,000. The reason behind NASA choosing HTC's Nexus One has not been revealed and comes as quite a bizarre choice considering the model is an old phone and not even in production anymore.
"The satellites almost came out of the box ready-made," said Bruce Yost, one of the project's lead scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. "But all the things that made it interesting are software. The intent is to be like the software community: Build, test, break, rebuild, and keep the cycle going and see if you can spiral your way to success."
This is not the first time NASA has sent a smartphone to space. In 2011, NASA sent two iPhone 4's up to the International Space Station. The mission was a collaboration between Apple and Odyssey Space Research.
