Putting the Raspberry Pi Into Orbit 82
Jack Spine writes "The Raspberry Pi is likely to be blasted into space, according to project founder Eben Upton. The $35/$25 credit-card-sized single-board educational computer could be used in sounding rockets, satellites, and high altitude balloon tests, according to Upton. Raspberry Pi has proved wildly popular since its launch, with one developer planning to build into a model boat to sail it across the Atlantic."
This was inevitable (Score:2, Informative)
Because everyone does it these days. Every other university has a student "space exploration interest club" who launch a helium balloon to "near" space, snap a picture and recover their "satellite". Google launched 7 such balloons with a bunch of Android phones onboard to prove that "Android works in space", and the iPad pouch creators launched one to show how their pouch/case protects your iPad in the event of it accidentally falling from space. A couple of years ago it was "it can run your toaster", now it's "it works in space", everyone does it. Two questions asked of *every* new device out there: Will it blend? Will it work in space?
The really creative folks launch chairs into space (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hSDbAo2WMk&feature=player_embedded -- where's safety?) or a tent with people inside.