Sony’s SR1 High Definition Cameras Can’t Hack It In Microgravity

Thanks to “Matt,” the guy who literally jigged his way around the world, we know that space tourists will be unable to lug Sony SR1 HD cameras into orbit because microgravity won’t let them.

Poor Matt found out the hard way. After plunking down $US3,500 for a ticket on a Zero G vomit comet plane ride, he tried to film his low gravity jig no less than 15 times before giving up. The brand new camera just would not record.

Why? Well, it had nothing to do with the cameraman and everything to do with zero gravity (actually, microgravity). Because an object in microgravity is actually falling towards the Earth, the camera’s hard drive drop-protection kept kicking in, rendering the expensive device useless.

The solution was to buy another ticket and another HD camera, this time with a flash drive. The result is below at around the 3:50 mark (alternatively, you can head to YouTube and watch the entire video again in HD—it’s better that way).

Now, obviously, NASA astronauts and probes have HD cameras that work just fine in orbit around the Earth and elsewhere in the solar system, so this little anecdote is meant more for the uber rich space tourists. Leave your non-flash camera rigs at home. [Pogue]