Smart SPHERES are about to get a whole lot smarter
Sunday, February 23, 2014 - 06:30
in Astronomy & Space
Smart devices -- such as tablets and phones -- increasingly are an essential part of everyday life on Earth. The same can be said for life off-planet aboard the International Space Station. Our reliance on these mobile and social technologies means equipment and software upgrades are an everyday occurrence -- like buying a new pair of shoes to replace a pair of well-worn ones. That's why the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. is working to upgrade the smartphones currently equipped on a trio of volleyball-sized free-flying satellites on the space station called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES).