Kamal Ghorui
Space selfies with smartphones? Imagine the shots they could get with a smartphone in hand. NASA has reportedly announced that astronauts on the upcoming Crew-12 and Artemis II missions will be allowed to carry their own smartphones. This is a bit of a departure from the usual strict rules about what gadgets can fly in space. Usually, every device has to pass of tests before it’s cleared for orbit. But now, astronauts might have the freedom to snap whatever they want, whenever they want. The announcement came from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on X on February 5. Space photography is about to get personal, and maybe a little more human.
NASA astronauts will soon fly with the latest smartphones for Crew-12 and Artemis II
Astronauts taking selfies in space might sound funny, but it could help make space feel closer to home. NASA has always been careful about gadgets. Radiation can fry electronics, and even minor glitches can be a headache when you’re 250 miles above Earth. As reported by AppleInsider, experts say the newest camera officially approved for Artemis II was a 2016 Nikon DSLR, alongside GoPros that are over ten years old. Not exactly cutting-edge tech. Even after all that, there’s no guarantee it’ll fly. But now, it seems NASA is softening. The Crew-12 mission is going to the International Space Station to bring four astronauts onboard. The ISS has been short-staffed after a medical evacuation earlier this year. Having astronauts document daily life on their smartphones could make the station feel a bit more relatable. Then there’s Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. Four astronauts will do a 10-day flyby around the Moon.
NASA makes cosmic selfies possible but with few limitations
As reported by AppleInsider, iPhones in space aren’t completely unheard of, back in 2011, two iPhone 4s flew on the final space shuttle mission. Apple Watches, AirPods, iPads, and iPods have also made appearances in orbit. Long before that, the Macintosh Portable sent the first email from space in 1991. Private missions have had it easier. Now, it seems the big government missions are catching up. Maybe NASA figured it’s time to let astronauts be a little more.
