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Samsung tests the reliability of the Galaxy S24 Ultra in space. (Photo: PetaPixel)
JAKARTA – Samsung tests the reliability of the Galaxy S24 Ultra in space. This newly released smartphone was sent into space using a stratospheric balloon to capture incredible photos.
During the flight, as each plane climbed to more than 120,000 feet above Earth the smartphone periodically took photos. The result is more than 150 spectacular high-res photographs of the western United States.
Reporting from PetaPixel, Wednesday (6/3/2024), Samsung designed its own stratospheric balloon for trips to the stratosphere. Technically, the stratosphere is not true space, but its nearly 23 miles above the Earth's surface is well above the flying altitude of commercial airliners and even above where the U2 Dragon Lady, which reaches altitudes above 70,000 feet, flies. In the latter case, the curvature of the Earth is already visible.
Samsung launched four stratospheric balloons from four different locations. Namely Los Angeles, Las Vegas, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the Grand Canyon. The company says these locations were chosen to capture a diversity of landscapes that will truly test the S24 Ultra's capabilities.
Once the rig was built and flights planned, the actual shooting took less than a week to complete as the team launched four aerial platforms between January 25 and January 31, 2024.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone is not only tasked with taking photos from the same focal length, because the photos shared by Samsung use a mix of the wide-angle camera, 5x zoom, and the main camera.
Once it was time to bring the rig back to Earth, the team released hydrogen gas and launched a parachute, allowing the rig to fall to Earth at a speed of about five miles per hour. The team was able to trace the crash location and was able to retrieve the smartphone safely.
(msf)