Endeavour accompanied by Rocket Man

NASA may not be emblazoning its shuttles with Formula One-style advertising slogans, but like Hollywood it seems to be sidling towards the odd sneaky bit of product placement. iPod Shuttle The new iPod Shuttle®. Picture copyright © Nasa The Reg reported last year on optimistic mutterings about the idea of NASA slapping …

[Damian Gabriel Moran]

as long as...

it is the Shatner rendition!

[Edwin]

Not that new...

A quick search on the world's favourite data miner reveals e.g. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=22762

[HFoster]

So?

This is interesting why, exactly? Couldn't give a monkey's toss if astronauts took sheet music and a chamber orchestra with them.

Wait. Actually, no. The chamber orchestra would be far more interesting than some eagle-eyed sadsack spotting an iPod in a NASA photograph. Too much time on his hands, no doubt.

[TimM]

Battery

What. Apple let them actually change the battery? !

Paris - cos she like's her ipod.

[Paul Bruneau]

Why no lithium?

Why does lithium have to go?

[Anonymous Coward]

Alkaline batteries?

So are the laptops used on space missions equipped with Li-Ion batteries, or are they running on alkalines as well?

--Paris icon because I'm sure she has many toys that take alkaline batteries.

[Michael]

@ Why no Lithium

Essentially, because the Shuttle and ISS are VERY enclosed spaces, and the contents of a lithium-ion battery are toxic, corrosive, flammable and potentially explosive. The risks aren't worth the weight and size benefits.

[vincent himpe]

wake me

when they have an ipod that runs on a fuel cell...

looks more like a white zune to me ...

[TeeCee]

So it's true then?

It really is f***ing Rocket Science to change the batteries on an iPod.

Spacesuit please.