By Dave Mosher Posted 03.04.2013 at 11:00 am 9 Comments

ArduLab
ArduLab Dave Mosher

Launching even small experiments into space can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Most of the money goes toward a spaceship or rocket ride to beat Earth's gravity, but another big chunk is the experimental equipment. Just one 10-centimeter cube in which to cram experiments, for example, can set a researcher back $10,000.

A new company called Infinity Aerospace is trying to undercut competitors by offering the same space in a plastic box, called ArduLab, for $2,000. The "Ardu" comes from the open-sourced, sensor-laden Arduino microcontroller included with the box to help pull off advanced experiments in microgravity.

To learn more, Popular Science caught up with company cofounders Brian Rieger and Manu Sharma during the Kairos Global Summit, which recently occurred on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

9 Comments

Link to this comment
RanoOnay

from Salt Lake City, Utah

03/04/13 at 12:06 pm

My business partner and I are actually thinking along the same lines as this company. We use Arduinos for experimenting with small space craft, namely satellites. The Arduino is cheap, easy to use, uses the standard C programming language, and comes with a whole network of peers to help with almost any questions you could have about it. I have definitely enjoyed working with the Arduino, and can't wait to see it in space!

Link to this comment
Raynre
03/04/13 at 12:09 pm

But where do I park my dune buggy?

Link to this comment
blaxpear
03/04/13 at 3:09 pm

Yeah sure. It all sounds great. Lots of cheap processing power widely available and supported. But it also sounds a bit over optimistic.

Arduinos are NOT designed(hardened) for the harsh environment of outer space. Cosmic radiation and extreme temperature swings would pretty much guarantee these chunks of plastic would be DOA or should we say DOO - Dead On Orbit...LOL.

We don't need more space junk. There's a reason NASA and it's partners have spent decades trying to get stuff to work in space. There is a whole science to engineering hardened electronics - absent in consumer grade systems.

I encourage these newcomers but advise caution as well.

Link to this comment
manuaero
03/04/13 at 3:33 pm

Hi blaxpear,

This is Manu from Infinity Aerospace. ArduLab is actually never launched free in orbit. It is installed inside the NanoRacks rack inside the space station and is handled by astronauts. Same is the case with Virgin Galactic and XCOR Lynx. These labs returned to earth to retrieve data or burned in the reentry inside the Russian Progress vehicle.

And btw, there is no danger of radiation inside ISS and any suborbital vehicles and the chips we are using in ArduLab can very well work inside ISS and suborbital vehicles.

We are very well concerned about space junk as you are. If you have any ideas of how can we demonstrate some technologies to help remove them using our platform, please let us know!

Link to this comment
shalgabe1
03/04/13 at 5:01 pm

Manu,You should Totally try and launch some sort of self contained "Bio Capsule" and just let it float around in orbit and see what happens that would be sick! like a green satellite.

Link to this comment
manuaero
03/04/13 at 10:13 pm

cool idea! you should join our forums and post your ideas in detail there...http://ardulab.com/community/index.php

Link to this comment
ford2go
03/05/13 at 2:25 am

I have to side just a bit with blaxpear. I like the arduino concept quite well. I think that they've done a nice job.

What they didn't try to do, as far as I know, is plan for anything but a fairly nominal environment.

If nothing else, these devices will be exposed to a lot of vibration, some high g acceleration, and probably some extreme temperatures. These elements are quite hard on electronic products.

I'm not saying that this won't work - just that there are some considerations ( I haven't covered them all).

Good Luck

Link to this comment
agapis
03/05/13 at 4:11 am

Blaxspear & Ford2Go:

You are both incorrect. Arduino have a range of space hardened boards available to the public.

Link to this comment
SolX2010
03/17/13 at 2:59 pm

I like the Ardusat idea too, but if you want a free floating experiment you should buy the Gravity Development Board from Solar System Express www.solarsystemexpress.com/gravity-development-board.html


140 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.



Popular Science+ For iPad

Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page



Download Our App

Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing



Follow Us On Twitter

Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed


April 2013: How It Works

For our annual How It Works issue, we break down everything from the massive Falcon Heavy rocket to a tiny DNA sequencer that connects to a USB port. We also take a look at an ambitious plan for faster-than-light travel and dive into the billion-dollar science of dog food.

Plus the latest Legos, Cadillac's plug-in hybrid, a tractor built for the apocalypse, and more.


Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor:Rose Pastore | Email

Contributing Writers:
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email

circ-top-header.gif
circ-cover.gif