Posted on 01/15/2015 5:39:04 PM PST by ctdonath2
Back in late November, iPhone case maker Urban Armor Gear sent an iPhone into space using a weather balloon, and in early January, the site shared a video depicting the iPhone's journey to the stratosphere in an Urban Armor Gear case.
The iPhone soared 101,000 feet into the atmosphere, and was subjected to 70 mile per hour winds and temperatures that dropped to -79 degrees Fahrenheit. Though turned on at launch, the iPhone later shut off and froze due to the cold weather
Urban Armor Gear hooked the iPhone up to a weather balloon rig that also included a GPS locator and two GoPro cameras for filming. Upon descent, the iPhone and the flight rig withstood 150 RPM rotation speeds, and at landing, the rig broke while the iPhone managed to remain unscathed.
"Our cases already meet military drop-test standards, but now we can officially say that they are space tested as well," said Steve Armstrong, co-founder of Urban Armor Gear. "The fact that the iPhone survived its space adventure and returned fully functioning showcases our commitment in providing our customers world-class, or in this case out of this world, protection for their premium devices."
The iPhone was protected by an Urban Armor composite case which promises military-grade protection, but it did not have a screen protector and still managed to come out undamaged. After landing, the iPhone powered back on and was fully functional, demonstrating the durability and solid construction of the device.
(Popcorn?)
FYI
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>> subjected to 70 mile per hour winds ...
Uh, balloons travel WITH the winds.
“Our cases already meet military drop-test standards, but now we can officially say that they are space tested as well,” said Steve Armstrong, co-founder of Urban Armor Gear. “The fact that the iPhone survived its space adventure and returned fully functioning showcases our commitment in providing our customers world-class, or in this case out of this world, protection for their premium devices.”
“Steve Armstrong, co-founder of Urban Armor Gear” has made a false advertising claim, because his iPhone never traveled into space as he claimed: “we can officially say that they are space tested....” See:
[Qutoe]
The first official definition of space came from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (the predecessor to NASA), who decided on the point where atmospheric pressure was less than one pound per square foot.
This was the altitude that airplane control surfaces could no longer be used, and corresponded to roughly 50 miles, or 81 kilometers.
Any NASA test pilot or astronaut who crosses this altitude is awarded their astronaut wings.
Shortly after that definition, the aerospace engineer Theodore von Kármán calculated that above an altitude of 100 km, the atmosphere would be so thin that an aircraft would need to be traveling at orbital velocity to derive any lift.
This altitude was later adopted as the Karman Line by the World Air Sports Federation.
[Unquote]
http://www.universetoday.com/25410/how-far-is-space/
Steve Armstrong owes consumers a retraction of his false advertising claim.
Yea, but what happens when you drop it in the toilet?
That's why I said "to the edge of space" rather than what the hype claimed.
iPods, iPads, iPhones, and Macs have already been in space. . . just not this guy's casing.
it goes for a later Rice bath?
Oh great. Roaming charges every 90 minutes.
I have an ‘android-style’ phone, and use UAG cases (i switch off in the color scheme, now and then). when i read they were built to milspec, that is what sold me.
I like the ‘pseudo-nasa’ white and black one, and also have one in ‘old USAF colors’. they have protected my phone very well, and do allow for it to remain cool in long periods of use.
Testing for Virgin Galactics coach tourism arrangements to space?
I had no idea a balloon could reach, exist and float in space...We should send our astronauts to the lunar surface in balloons.
“need to be traveling at orbital velocity to derive any lift.”
Finally, a sensible definition of the edge of space.
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