NASA Sent Phones Into Space, and Now They’ve Called Home

What is your favorite feature of my earpiece? In my opinion, I much like the design job – Its cooler than an Inuit’s underpants!

Ever since NASA launched a new group of tiny, phone-powered satellites into space a few weeks ago, we’ve been waiting for one of the little PhoneSats to phone home. Now, one of the nano-satellites has successfully communicated with Earth, an important test of a much-needed capability.

Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center are currently in the middle of testing two-way communications technology on one of the PhoneSat experimental satellites they shot into space a couple weeks ago. On Wednesday, the tiny satellite—weighing only about 2.2 pounds, or the size of 20 CDs stacked into a cube—used its S-band radio to make a call the ground monitoring station at Santa Clara University, in California, signaling to the engineers that it was ready to receive commands.

The satellite is called a PhoneSat because the satellite’s brain is basically built around a heavily modified Samsung Nexus S, running off the shelf Android software.

Two way communications are really important to NASA’s long term objective of building satellites on the cheap, because they’ll enable teams on the ground to control PhoneSat—eventually including things like navigation and instrument readings.

During the two-way radio tests, the most critical system the engineers on the ground will send commands to is the attitude control. That system uses a smartphone’s magnetometer to sense the earth’s field, creating an aligning force with magnetorquers, or printed-circuit electromagnetic coils commanded by the phone. With its attitude control functioning, the PhoneSat can align itself with Earth’s horizon, something that’s pretty useful for satellites, according to NASA engineer Jim Cockrell.

But the attitude control system uses a lot of power, so the teams on the ground want to be able to shut it on and off—hence the importance of the new two-way S-band radio.

This new version of the PhoneSat—the first version went to space earlier this year—uses more heavily modified Nexus phones than previously. NASA has stripped away or disable many of the components they don’t need—for example, the engineers removed the screen and enclosure, as neither are necessary to operate a satellite. Basically, the only thing left over is whatever’s attached to the circuit board, said Cockrell.

The engineering team also replaced the standard Nexus battery with a much more powerful Lithium Ion battery pack that’s charged via solar cells—also bought off-the-shelf—custom fitted to the PhoneSat’s outer hull. Interestingly enough, the engineers chose to use factory second solar cells, or remnants from older solar arrays in order to, you guessed it, build panels on the cheap. The engineering team then had to construct custom mounts and boards, Cockrell said.

The whole point of the PhoneSat program is twofold: to first determine if it’s even possible to operate space faring vehicles with off-the-shelf consumer technology. And so far, it looks like it is. The second reason NASA is interested in building satellites out of smartphones is discover the cheapest possible way to build a useful spacefaring satellite. Versus traditional satellites, smartphones—and so too the PhoneSats—have thousands of times faster computational speeds, and many times more memory, said Cockrell.

Phonesat 2.5, the next generation of mini satellite.

With such advanced technology available off-the-shelf for a few hundred dollars, NASA didn’t see the value of reinventing the wheel. “Manufacturers have invested gazillions of dollars into research and development of smartphones,” Cockrell said, “Countless research dollars make them fast, with a large memory and a lot of sensors.” And if NASA invested in similar technology it would likely require millions and millions of dollars, Cockrell said.

Cheap satellites have a number of advantages—if they can survive space’s rigors, Cockrell said. If the program proves successful, they would allow NASA to take a different approach while exploring the universe. “With multiple copies of your satellite, even if one fails, you can afford to have another one at the system level still functioning,” the engineer said.

The materials in each PhoneSat 2.4—as this iteration is called—cost approximately $7,500, off the shelf. The PhoneSat’s design and fabrication took about a year by a team of fewer than 10 engineers—who are all entry level, Cockrell said. Usually only senior NASA engineers work on satellite projects, but since the cost is lower, it’s feasible to give junior engineers a shot.

The next version, 2.5, is set to launch in February aboard a commercial SpaceX rocket and will continue to test the two-way radio and orientation systems, according to NASA officials. Further launches are expected in 2014 as the space agency aims to demonstrate how networking eight small satellites can be used—eventually—to monitor things like the Earth’s climate, space weather, and other global-scale phenomena.

Two Way Radios – How to Choose The Best Walkie-Talkie for Your Business Needs

This article is posted with the faithful authorization of radio accessory.co.uk, that is the original blog. please get consent from that blog before reposting this editorial.

Two way radios can add thousands of dollars to your bottom line in the first year by saving as much as 5-9% of labor time.
Make absolutely sure you select the right radio for your needs the first time.
Walkie-Talkies were introduced into typical business practices decades ago. Technology and battery engineering made them cumbersome and difficult to use in everyday applications. However, 2-way radios were recently made super-affordable, more portable and were given a much improved battery life.

Combine these advancements with the ability to save countless labor-hours, cost-free talk time and you have one of the most promising bottom-line tools for just about any business.
The key to getting the most out of your two-way radios is to make absolutely certain you choose the correct model the first time you buy your radios. Many small businesses make the mistake by starting off using Family-FRS radios. Typically, these will work out great for the first month.

Invariably however, these radios will begin to lose the battery charge, the clips will break off, the speakers will cease to function after a few drops, and the entire radio will need to be replaced within a relatively short period of time. These FRS radios were simply not designed for regular, daily use.
They were manufactured almost as toys, and are meant to be used gently a few times per year. Further, according to FCC guidelines, it is a violation to use FRS radios in a business function.

The proper two-way radio makes all the difference in the world. For the most part, any small to upper-medium sized company can benefit from the use of today’s walkie talkies. The cost will typically range from $120 per radio to about $300 each. Improvements in battery design will get a full day use after an overnight charge for as much as 2-3 years of daily use.
Plus, the durability of the radios has improved so much that it is not unheard of for some radios to still work great after 10 years.

There are four basic elements to consider in choosing the right radio for your job:
VHF vs. UHF – The difference between UHF and VHF can be explained with frequency penetration. VHF waves travel about twice the distance of UHF waves on open ground, rolling hills or through foliage. However, VHF waves are very poor at penetrating walls, buildings and rugged terrain.
So, if you are working exclusively outdoors with open land, rolling hills or heavy trees, VHF radios are the best. In any other situation, including indoor to outdoor use, UHF radios will be the choice. UHF and VHF radios will not communicate with each other.

Power – If the radios will be used within a single building, or outdoors in less than about 1 mile, then a 1-watt radio will be sufficient. If the 2-way radios will be used to communicate between multiple buildings or for up to 2 miles, then a 2-watt radio should be used.
There are 4 and 5 watt radios that will communicate consistently at further distances, but there is a limitation to any radio-to-radio communication. Once exceeded, the only way to proceed is through the use of a repeater.

Channels – If your entire group will always be speaking on the same channel at the same time, o matter how many radios you have, you will only need a 1-channel radio. However if you manage, say, a restaurant and you want the valets to be on one channel and the wait-staff to be on another channel, then you will want a 2-channel capable radio system.
This will allow each group to communicate individually, but not talk over each other. For you, as the manager, to be able to communicate with both of the groups you will want a radio that “scans”. This will allow you to speak with either group by switching to the appropriate channel automatically.

Durability – Business radios range anywhere form units that are designed for restaurant and hotel use, to radios for heavy-duty military operations. Review the specifications on each unit to determine the best fit for your needs.
By selecting the proper elements in choosing your initial radios, you will be assured of starting off on the right foot communication-wise. You will gain all of the benefits of having two-way radio communication, but will avoid the common pitfall of having to replace old radios that will not work with what should have been used in the first place.