Its arguably cool enough that Google is working on smartphones that can scan your surroundings, but now those devices are slated to take a spin in space too. Hows that for living in the future? NASA first started sticking smartphones to machines back in 2011 when it used Samsungs Nexus S as the brains for a trio of robotic SPHERES satellite that use bursts of carbon dioxide to putter around the International Space Station.