Back then, the thought was for a huge satellite carrying two camera arrays incorporating some 500 CCDs.

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ITT, maker of the satellite's camera, has never suffered a failure.

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The satellite's high resolution camera would significantly boost Israel's intelligence gathering, officials told local media.

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This alternate camera will also show the satellite's telemetry rolling across the screen for another App, and there is a simple experiment also to sense the magnetic environment in space using the Nexus' own onboard magnetometer.

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It uses a vehicle-mounted camera, object-recognition software and satellite positioning to create detailed 3-D maps of roads, pinpointing features such as pot-holes.

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The satellite-borne phone will map the Earth with its 5 megapixel camera and conduct a number of scientific and engineering experiments, the most significant of which will be to hand total control of the spacecraft over to the Nexus.

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The 360 app will take pictures using the phone's built-in five megapixel camera, and will act as a method of establishing the satellite's position.

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