Android in space!
- Transfer
This is a free translation on the theme of android flight into space.
For Google and for us, this is a very important study. It is well known that some of our favorite products provide an opportunity to explore the world in a new, impossible up to this point of view. Google Maps - allows you to find the right road around the world. Google Earth - helps to study our planet in detail, including forests and oceans. And using the Google Sky Map on your Android, you can easily observe the starry sky. Therefore, we wanted to conduct an entertaining study in the upper atmosphere using devices with Android.
We recently went to the small town of Ione, in Caliphonia, and launched seven devices that can withstand high loads into the stratosphere. Taking advantage of the experience of those guys who have already conducted such tests at home, we equipped our weather balloon with a Nexus S phoneto be able to receive data from telephone sensors - GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer. It was also a great way to spend the weekend profitably. By launching weather balloons, we got stunning pictures and videos of the Earth. Take a look at Android from a height of more than 30 kilometers:
Well, firstly, the Android platform installed on the Nexus S smartphone, providing a reliable development environment and a large set of built-in sensors, made it easy to write the applications necessary for this project. In close cooperation with a student from the University of California Santa Cruz, Greg Klein, we prepared each of the devices, placing them in special containers, securely attaching a radar reflector, a parachute and the weather balloon itself to it.
We used the APRS protocol to transfer the location , since we know that it works well at high altitudes. The rest of the payload was different for each weather balloon. On some we installed cameras, on other cameras we tried to place all devices at different viewing angles.
On smartphones, we launched various applications:
We even installed astronauts - Android robots on manned devices. See how we prepared and launched our weather balloons:
Our devices transmitted numerous telemetry data to the ground, and some of them managed to reach significant heights. The highest altitude we have achieved is 107,375 feet (32.7 km.), Which is three times the height that commercial airline flights typically climb. The highest speed that was recorded - 139 miles (223 km.) Per hour.
When tracking sensors on each of the phones, we found that GPS in the Nexus S can function up to an altitude of about 60,000 feet (18 km) and starts working again when the device is lowered. We also saw that this phone can withstand quite harsh ambient temperatures (up to -50 ° C). Here are some more interesting data collected by us:
Analyzing all the data obtained, we were able to detect some interesting trends. For example, we determined the speed and altitude of air currents: about 130 miles (209 km.) Per hour at an altitude of 35,000 feet (10.6 km).
You can watch the video of test launches here . For more information and photos, as well as a flight path chart, see the official website android.hibal.org
For Google and for us, this is a very important study. It is well known that some of our favorite products provide an opportunity to explore the world in a new, impossible up to this point of view. Google Maps - allows you to find the right road around the world. Google Earth - helps to study our planet in detail, including forests and oceans. And using the Google Sky Map on your Android, you can easily observe the starry sky. Therefore, we wanted to conduct an entertaining study in the upper atmosphere using devices with Android.
We recently went to the small town of Ione, in Caliphonia, and launched seven devices that can withstand high loads into the stratosphere. Taking advantage of the experience of those guys who have already conducted such tests at home, we equipped our weather balloon with a Nexus S phoneto be able to receive data from telephone sensors - GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer. It was also a great way to spend the weekend profitably. By launching weather balloons, we got stunning pictures and videos of the Earth. Take a look at Android from a height of more than 30 kilometers:
How did we manage to launch our android team so high?
Well, firstly, the Android platform installed on the Nexus S smartphone, providing a reliable development environment and a large set of built-in sensors, made it easy to write the applications necessary for this project. In close cooperation with a student from the University of California Santa Cruz, Greg Klein, we prepared each of the devices, placing them in special containers, securely attaching a radar reflector, a parachute and the weather balloon itself to it.
We used the APRS protocol to transfer the location , since we know that it works well at high altitudes. The rest of the payload was different for each weather balloon. On some we installed cameras, on other cameras we tried to place all devices at different viewing angles.
On smartphones, we launched various applications:
- Google Maps for Mobile 5.0 (with offline maps) - this allowed us to see what is directly below the ball
- Google Sky Map with which we saw real stars in the sky
- Latitude - allowed to track the location of devices from the ground (when the phones were connected to the network)
We even installed astronauts - Android robots on manned devices. See how we prepared and launched our weather balloons:
What we got
Our devices transmitted numerous telemetry data to the ground, and some of them managed to reach significant heights. The highest altitude we have achieved is 107,375 feet (32.7 km.), Which is three times the height that commercial airline flights typically climb. The highest speed that was recorded - 139 miles (223 km.) Per hour.
When tracking sensors on each of the phones, we found that GPS in the Nexus S can function up to an altitude of about 60,000 feet (18 km) and starts working again when the device is lowered. We also saw that this phone can withstand quite harsh ambient temperatures (up to -50 ° C). Here are some more interesting data collected by us:
- Top speed: 139 miles (223 km.) Per hour
- Maximum Altitude: 107,375 feet (32.7 km.)
- Maximum lift speed: 5.44 m / s
- Average flight duration: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Average descent time: 34 minutes
Analyzing all the data obtained, we were able to detect some interesting trends. For example, we determined the speed and altitude of air currents: about 130 miles (209 km.) Per hour at an altitude of 35,000 feet (10.6 km).
You can watch the video of test launches here . For more information and photos, as well as a flight path chart, see the official website android.hibal.org