“They say big things come in small packages, and that’s evident with the small satellites that are becoming ubiquitous around NASA centers, university labs and even elementary school science classes. These tiny satellites are relatively inexpensive, which makes space-borne research accessible to more people today than has been possible in the past. NASA is focused on its journey to Mars, and these small satellites are helping us develop the miniaturized technologies needed to reduce unnecessary weight and space aboard crewed spacecraft that could be used for research, life support and other things astronauts will need as they travel to the Red Planet. Closer to home, the technologies developed to work on satellites ranging in size from a refrigerator to a box of tissues could radically change the way we predict weather, provide Internet and television programming and cellular reception.”
