February 26, 2013 | Nicola

In space no-one can hear you scream… or can they?

A team from the University of Surrey have launched the world’s first smartphone satellite to find out.

During the test researchers will use the Scream in Space app to play screams recorded online. They’ll then monitor the phone’s on-board speakers to see if they pick up any noise.

The smartphone satellite, called Strand-1, is equipped with a number of other specialised apps, including one that uses the phone’s built-in camera help establish its position.

Unfortunately the team don’t expect to get their phone back!