SpaceLab for iOS
FREE
Current Rank:
#709
Screenshots
Description
App Details
- Category:
- Education
- Release Date:
- Jun 08, 2011
- Homepage:
- http://www.odysseysr.c...
- Publisher:
- Odyssey Space Research, L.L.C.
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- Claim it!
This version of the app is identical to the version to be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the orbiter Atlantis on the historic final mission of the Space Shuttle program, where astronauts will perform the experiments and gather data to be processed and analyzed upon return to Earth. While designed for use in space, based on a check for gravity, the app invokes features that allow for a ground-based user to perform simulated experiments so that anyone can get a sense of the tasks and objectives of the flight experiments.
BACKGROUND
With the addition of a three-axis gyro, iPhone 4 offers capabilities previously found in purpose built aerospace hardware. Odyssey Space Research, in commercial cooperation with Nanoracks (http://www.nanoracks.com), has certified a set of iPhone 4's to be flown initially on the Space Shuttle, and later returned on a Russian Soyuz. These iPhone 4's will spend several months on the ISS demonstrating the capabilities of iPhone 4 hardware in space as well as paving the way for future opportunities for getting iOS experiments and devices to the ISS for scientific research and education.
The initial release of SpaceLab for iOS includes 4 experiments to be performed by astronauts on the ISS. The primary purpose of these experiments is to collect data for future flights, to improve the sensor accuracy and precision, and to demonstrate some of the basic capabilities intrinsic to iPhone but uniquely applied to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space environment.
Once the experiment and iPhones are returned to Earth and analyzed, it will be made available to users as part of a new release.
The experiments were inspired by the a navigation recovery function for a spacecraft that might be "lost in space" in LEO.
1: Limb Tracker
Astronauts onboard the ISS will use iPhone 4 to measure altitude above the Earth's surface by measuring the curvature of the Earth's limb. The Earth's limb is the termination line (arc) separating Earth and darkness of space. Collected data will also be used to calibrate the optics for future experiments. On the ground, a globe, photograph of Earth, or other representation, will allow the experiment to be performed and will yield an estimate of the scaled altitude.
2: Sensor Calibration
Astronauts will take a series of photos of a QR barcode (available at: http://www.odysseysr.com/spacelab/placard.html) in various positions. During the entire procedure, the accelerometer and gyro measurement information will be recorded for post flight processing. Combined with the images of the barcode, engineers will calibrate the sensors and deliver an autocalibration function for future flights. On, the ground, the steps can all be performed identically with the downloaded placard. An auto result will be displayed in a subsequent release.
3: State Acquisition
Astronauts will take photos of the Earth, and manually line up a coastline model from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the captured photos. This will allow the software to determine where in space the photo was taken, and provide an estimate of latitude and longitude. In post flight processing on the ground, engineers can improve long term accuracy and precision with the collected data. The ground-based execution can be performed identically, but the results will not include the calibration from experiment 2 (to be made available in a subsequent release).
4: Lifecycle Flight Instrumentation (LFI)
This data collection experiment will assess how the iPhone hardware withstands the harsh rigors of space flight. In particular, this will attempt to detect and measure radiation exposure and help engineers determine how well an iPhone functions. This experiment can be performed on the ground but generates no output. ...More
Posts
Today the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off for the last time, but its last mission is going to be remembered by Apple enthusiasts for something else as well. Captain Chris Ferguson and his crew are carrying with them two iPhone 4s. These iPhones run a special app called “SpaceLab for iOS” especially designed for this occasion by Odyssey Space Research, an engineering Houston-based company. Through this app, astronauts are going to perform several experiments by taking advantage of the iPhone cameras, gyroscope and sensors. One of these experiments is actually quite interesting: it’s a test to see if the iPhone’s memory can be affected by space radiations.”If a smartphone can be proved to work in space,” says Chris Bridges, researcher for Odyssey Space Research, “it opens up lots of new technologies to a multitude of people and companies for space who usually can’t afford it.” The fact that the iPhone, and
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Space shuttle Atlantis was launched from Kennedy Space Center this morning at 11:29am. STS-135 is the last mission of over 30 years of space exploration. The two iPhone 4s taken into space are pre-loaded with the app SpaceLab for iOS, which will allow scientists to conduct several experiments, including the following – Limb Tracker – This navigation experiment will involve taking photographs of the Earth and matching an arc to the horizon through manipulation of an overlay. This performs the function roughly equivalent to a “manual” horizon sensor. It will yield an estimate of altitude (height above the surface) and “off axis” angle, a measurement of the angle of the image with respect to the Earth’s center. Sensor Cal – This sensor calibration experiment uses a series of photos of a reference image, combined with propagated information using three-axis gyro and accelerometer measurements to calibrate the gyros and the accelerometers (i.e.
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This morning at 11:29AM EDT, space shuttle Atlantis took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the final shuttle mission, STS-135. The launch marks the end of the more than 30-year Shuttle program to explore and learn more about our world, the solar system, and the universe. The STS-135 crew will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with more than 8,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts to sustain space station operations after the shuttles are retired. Atlantis is also carrying two iPhone 4's to the International Space Station (ISS) for experimentation. The "space certified" iPhones are loaded with a specially designed app, SpaceLab for iOS (downloadable from the App Store [iTunes]) that will let astronauts conduct several experiments: Limb Tracker - This navigation experiment will involve taking photographs of the Earth and matching an arc to the horizon through manipulation of an overlay. This performs the function roughly
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by If every government program were this cheap, we’d have the debt problem licked in no time. The final, much-delayed mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis, which has a 30% chance of lifting off this Friday, will be carrying with it the planet’s first astro-phones — a pair of Apple iPhone 4s, ready for a first-of-its-kind experiment aboard the International Space Station, using a $1 app. The app, SpaceLab for iOS [iTunes link], uses the iPhone 4′s in-built three-axis gyroscope to replace far more expensive custom-built equipment. It will measure altitude, the curvature of the Earth, and locate itself by looking for recognizable coastline via the iPhone camera. (Astronauts aboard the ISS will be taking the snapshots; no word yet on whether they’ll also be choosing filters and posting them to Instagram.) The idea is to help future spacecraft that might get knocked out of position, lost in low-Earth orbit. In other
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posted by David Wasman on Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 11:19 am. iPhone 4s will be taken aboard the International Space Station to help conduct ground-breaking experiments. Odyssey Space Research LLC, has developed an iOS app that will take advantage of the iPhones built-in mechanisms, including the three-axis gyro and accelerometer. In an excerpt from their official press release, Odyssey states: “The SpaceLab for iOS app will utilize the innovative features of iPhone 4, including the three-axis gyro, accelerometer, Retina display, cameras and A4 chip, for space-based research. The crew will conduct various experiments to collect data which could one day find use in practical applications, such as the recovery of navigation information for a spacecraft that might be “lost in space.” The “SpaceLab for iOS” app includes the following experiments: With the help of NanoRacks LLC, both iPhone 4s will be housed in a NanoLab which is a “small
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The final Space Shuttle mission planned for next month will have a unique twist: the shuttle will carry two Apple iPhone 4s to the International Space Station (ISS) for a series of experiments using the SpaceLab app. Geekosystem reports.
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As if the iPhone 4 needed any more publicity, the device is about to get some intergalactic marketing. Cult of Mac is reporting that a pair of iPhone 4s running research software are headed for the International Space Station next month. The 2 devices are set to launch into the stratosphere on July 8, and will be running SpaceLab software. The iOS app will help the ISS crew determine their relative position in space as well as aid in several experiments. Want to get hands on with the app? A consumer version of the software is available today in the App Store. The application will pass on flight data, photos, and other information from the space mission. It will even allow users to follow along with some of the experiments conducted by the crew. It’s the iPhone’s unique built-in sensors that make it a useful measuring tool for the astronauts. With
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The space shuttle Atlantis' final mission into space on July 8, 2011 will also mark a first. Specifically, the first time an iPhone has entered outer space. Two in fact, meant to carry out specially-designed experiments. The iPhone 4s will be running an app called SpaceLab for iOS, designed by Odyssey Space Research. Crew members will use the app to run tests that involve the iPhone's cameras, gyroscopes and other hardware once Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station. For example, one test will be used to determine if the phone's gyroscope can determine the shuttle's orientation in space. "I'm pretty sure this is the very first iPhone to go into space," said Odyssey CEO Brian Rishikof. He also stated that the iPhone tests will be purely experimental and not meant to supplement the craft's guidance systems. Earth-bound astronomers can purchase a version of the app tailored for civilians for
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...for iOS — just sat thru an awesome session I can't talk about, but it was about this app http://t.co/y7wKX8I #iTunes #wwdc...
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Reviews
Very exciting!
Jmock77
Version: 1.0.1
Version: 1.0.1
This is a really exciting concept! Can't wait to see how the space experiments work out.
