Not Branson or Bezos, but a smartphone to space
Not a person, but a smartphone has been sent to space. In this case a Cat C62. And did he still do it?
Sending a smartphone into space is not without consequences. Such a device is exposed to all kinds of bizarre circumstances. Nevertheless, an attempt was made. Bullit Group has taken on this challenge in collaboration with students from the University Collegiate School in Bolton, UK.
The project was overseen by David Akerman, an expert in high-altitude weather balloons. The choice for the Cat C62 was made because, according to the makers, this smartphone is made to handle extreme conditions.
The smartphone was sent to space via a weather balloon. The journey took 2 hours and 25 minutes. An altitude of 35.3 kilometers was reached. The smartphone had to deal with a challenging temperature of -30 degrees Celsius. In the end, the phone survived the ride and photos were even taken from the stratosphere.
Smartphone not quite in space
Really floating in space is not applicable here, because then the smartphone would have had to go into the air at least 80 kilometers. In that regard, the phone hasn’t surpassed Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and soon Elon Musk.