Shoot your very own experiment into space with ArduLab, a ready-for-research container that uses open source Arduino programming and is intended for microgravity research.
ArduLab officially launched on Wednesday, offering streamlined and efficient NASA-approved space experimentation to the general public, courtesy of Infinity Aerospace at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.
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Prior to ArduLab, independent researchers pursuing space experiments would have dealt with a time-consuming approval process or government red tape issues. Starting at $4,999, users receive the ArduLab module, software, tech support, and the results of the space experiment. The lab features a microcontroller, screws to mount hardware and sensors, other hardware components, a USB cable to upload files to your computer, and a carrying case.
ArduLab is geared toward those pursuing microgravity research, as the box will spend time aboard the International Space Station or on a Virgin Galactic flight. Participants in Wednesday's launch included Jet Propulsion Lab, Stanford University, high schools and other individual experimenters.
As Florida Atlantic University engineer Mark Hoerber comments on ArduLab in a YouTube video, "this would have saved me a lot of time" because it's "already approved to fly."
For more, check out the video above.