Samsung Nexus S Goes to Space Aboard the Last Space Shuttle Launch

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The last NASA space shuttle mission is one of the hot topics of these days and we’re doubly interested in it, from a tech perspective as Samsung managed to sneak a Nexus S Android smartphone on board this last mission.

The phone has been certified by NASA to be used in space and the flagship device isn’t traveling to space just for leisure. The smartphone will be put to work by the astronauts:

Nexus S from Google is part of research that will equip small, free-flying satellites called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) used by the astronauts to provide a broader range of capabilities and give better communication between land and sky. Nexus S is the first commercial smartphone certified by NASA to fly on the space shuttle and to be cleared for use on the International Space Station. The experiment will use the smartphone-enhanced SPHERES as remotely operated robots to conduct interior survey and inspections of the station, to capture mobile camera images and video, and to study how robots can support future human exploration.

Naturally this stunt gives Samsung plenty of bragging rights and brings the Nexus S back in the limelight again. The phone is the second Google Nexus Android smartphone launched in order to showcase Google’s Android vision with the world. The Nexus S has been launched back in December 2010 in the USA, and it was the first handset to run Gingerbread out of the box. Currently the device is available in plenty of other markets although since December 2010 plenty of other Android smartphones have risen to overshadow him.

The phone has sparked some controversy on Earth, as Apple’s got its sights on the Nexus S too in its legal quarrel with Samsung that’s currently going on in various countries. Speaking of Apple, the Nexus S won’t be the only smartphone aboard the space shuttle mission as iPhone 4 units have also joined the Samsung flagship handset.