SPACE1 MICRO SPACECRAFT
The past year in r/c hobby flight, the industry has seen advanced technical innovation introduced with helicopters, quad fliers, and other flying inventions. This has filtered down to the low cost toy store, thanks to the highly competitive China market with ability to make things cheaper, smaller, and at extremely lower cost than other products on the market.
To adapt this technology can result in yet newer innovations, at a fraction of the cost of their professional counterparts. Surprisingly, in the space industry, this may indicate the difference between $25 and 25 million dollars and development time of months instead of decades.
Space1 set out to develop the smallest spacecraft capable of connected human flight through experimental add-ons and modifications. The entire unmodified craft is about 11.9 grams in weight. When we attempted to attach a number 808 keychain camera, the added weight was a no go. A standard #808 camera weighs about 16 grams. Shedding the case can subtract 6 grams. This makes the camera just under the weight of the craft.