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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

SuitSat

145.990 MHz FM,"

January 26, 2006: One of the strangest satellites in the history of the space age is about to go into orbit. Launch date: Feb. 3rd. That's when astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will hurl an empty spacesuit overboard.

The spacesuit is the satellite -- "SuitSat" for short.

"SuitSat is a Russian brainstorm," explains Frank Bauer of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "Some of our Russian partners in the ISS program, mainly a group led by Sergey Samburov, had an idea: Maybe we can turn old spacesuits into useful satellites." SuitSat is a first test of that idea.

"We've equipped a Russian Orlan spacesuit with three batteries, a radio transmitter, and internal sensors to measure temperature and battery power," says Bauer. "As SuitSat circles Earth, it will transmit its condition to the ground."

Unlike a normal spacewalk, with a human inside the suit, SuitSat's temperature controls will be turned off to conserve power. The suit, arms and legs akimbo, possibly spinning, will be exposed to the fierce rays of the sun with no way to regulate its internal temperature.

"Will the suit overheat? How long will the batteries last? Can we get a clear transmission if the suit tumbles?" wonders Bauer. These are some of the questions SuitSat will answer, laying the groundwork for SuitSats of the future.

SuitSat can be heard by anyone on the ground. "All you need is an antenna (the bigger the better) and a radio receiver that you can tune to 145.990 MHz FM," says Bauer. "A police band scanner or a hand-talkie ham radio would work just fine." He encourages students, scouts, teachers and ham radio operators to tune in

Full story here from NASA: science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26jan_suitsat.htm

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This will be a great activity during an observation session... ;D

[Rocketman]

I've been knowing about this for months. I'm ready for it to be deployed. I heard Bill say that it was ready to go while ISS was passing over.

Suitsat will also have SSTV which I'm eager to try to decode

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I'll be anticipating your monitoring efforts on this. Perhaps you could provide us with simple, easy to follow procedures.

I wonder when it will burn up...could make a nice short display.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Orbiting Unmanned Spacesuit Transmits Signals to Japan, Then Goes Silent

SuitSat-1 is seen in a televion image floating away from the International Space Station, Friday, Feb. 3, 2006. SuitSat-1, that is outfitted with a special radio trasmitter and other gear, was a spacesuit that was near the end of its useful life and will remain in its own orbit for as long as six weeks before re-entering the earth's atmosphere and burning. SuitSat-1 wil broadcast recorded ham radio messages in Russian , Japanese, Spanish, German, French and English. (AP Photo/NASA TV

An unmanned spacesuit tossed out of the international space station was supposed to float through space, talking to radio operators around the globe. The suit, stuffed with old clothes and a radio transmitter, orbited Earth twice Friday, giving off faint signals to Japan. But then the suit, dubbed "Ivan Ivanovich," was apparently silent.

"No more transmissions are being received by ham radio operators ... It may have ceased operating very shortly after its deployment," said NASA commentator Rob Navias, speculating its batteries became too cold.

The deployment of the spacesuit started a 5 1/2-hour spacewalk of mixed results by flight engineer Valery Tokarev and U.S. commander Bill McArthur to perform maintenance and photography tasks.

The suit was released from the international space station Friday afternoon, looking like a cosmonaut tumbling helplessly through space. The Russian suit was equipped with a radio transmitter to send recorded messages in six languages to amateur radio operators for several days before eventually re-entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up, NASA officials said.

It even wore a helmet and gloves.

The spacesuit project, known as SuitSat-1, was the brainchild of a Russian ham radio operator. It was supposed to send several words in code for schoolchildren listening on the ground. Radio operators were supposed to pick up the messages for several days by tuning into FM frequency 145.990 MHz.

Along with the radio transmitter, the stuffed spacesuit also had internal sensors to monitor temperature and battery power. As it floated along, it was to have transmitted its temperature, battery power and time it has been in space to the ground.

Story here: channels.attbusiness.net/index.cfm?fuseAction=viewNewsArticle&nav_id=33&category_name=Science&article_id=13b74beeb3a65371e0af64dcf345c871

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I was hoping for a longer operational uptime, but it's cool regardless...

[Rocketman]

It's not dead, only very weak...

Don't even expect to hear it on an indoor telescoping antenna!

Space is very cold, I guess someone forgot to figure that in. I'm sure they could have used some small solar panels to power the transmitter.


Same old song and dance... #beatdeadhorse#

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Spacesuit Still Alive, Giving Weak Signal

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A spacesuit that was tossed out of the international space station after being stuffed with old clothes and a radio transmitter was again sending weak signals as it circled the globe, ham radio operators reported Sunday.

"Death reports were premature," said Allen Pitts, a spokesman for the American Radio Relay League, a Connecticut-based association for amateur radio operators. He said the signals were "weak, cold and really hard to copy, but alive."

The suit, dubbed "Ivan Ivanovich," was released from the space station Friday, looking like a cosmonaut tumbling helplessly through space.

NASA reported late Friday that the spacesuit had ceased transmitting.

The suit is supposed to send recorded messages in six languages to amateur radio operators for several days before eventually re-entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up. The spacesuit also is supposed to transmit pictures, artwork and lessons for schoolchildren on the ground.

Along with the transmitter, the spacesuit has internal sensors to monitor temperature and battery power. Radio operators were supposed to pick up the messages for several days by tuning into FM frequency 145.990 MHz.

The spacesuit project, known as SuitSat-1, was the brainchild of a Russian ham radio operator.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

NASA Image of SuitSat in Space

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth's horizon, a spacesuit-turned-satellite called SuitSat began its orbit around the Earth after it was released by the Expedition 12 crewmembers during a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) on Feb. 3, 2006.

SuitSat, an unneeded Russian Orlan spacesuit, was outfitted by the crew with three batteries, internal sensors and a radio transmitter, which faintly transmitted recorded voices of school children to amateur radio operators worldwide.

The suit will enter the atmosphere and burn up in a few weeks.