WASHINGTON NASA is an agency known for going big: big missions, big rockets, big budgets.

But nestled in California's Silicon Valley is one NASA unit headed in the opposite direction. Its latest mission is tiny but has led to big expectations for the Small Spacecraft Technology Program.

In April, this NASA team launched three little satellites each about the size of a coffee mug aboard a test rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The probes shared two remarkable traits: All were built primarily from smartphone parts, and each cost less than $8,000.

The mission was simple. As with Sputnik the world's first satellite, launched in 1957 the goal was to survive long enough to relay signals back to Earth.

But instead of the "beep-beep-beep" sent by Sputnik, these so-called PhoneSats (for phone satellites) had the brains to broadcast much more complex data, including pictures of Earth.

For six days, the probes zipped around Earth at about 17,000 mph and transmitted information about temperature and battery strength, as well as about 200 photos. Then the tug of Earth's gravitational field became too much, and orbits that started about 155 miles overhead ended in flashes of fire as they re-entered the atmosphere April 27.

"I would say it was a success," said Bruce Yost, head of the program.

Though his team had hoped the satellites would stay in orbit for a few more days, he said the six-day mission was more than enough to prove PhoneSats have a future perhaps as low-cost weather satellites or Earth-observation platforms.

Up next are two missions designed to push the envelope even more. A fall launch will test the ability of a single PhoneSat to control its own spin in orbit. Then this winter, Yost and his team hope to send a "swarm" of eight PhoneSats to circle Earth and measure space radiation.

All nine could stay in orbit for a year or more.

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NASA's tiny 'PhoneSats' from smartphones show promise