| Author |
Message |
jonathan95
Delta Prime
Joined: 29 Oct 2002
Posts: 1544
Location: UK Newcastle
|
 Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:30 pm Spacesuit floats off to become a satellite |
|
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11162380/ <- source
| Quote: | Spacesuit floats off to become a satellite
Empty SuitSat pushed from space station at start of spacewalk
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 7:06 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2006
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A worn-out spacesuit, stuffed with trash and radio gear, was pushed away from the international space station on Friday to become the world's strangest-looking ham-radio satellite.
Complete with helmet and gloves, the spacesuit floated past the Russian section of the international space station, 220 miles (350 kilometers) above Earth, before rotating away feet first and beginning its orbit around the globe. The sight was an eerie echo of science-fiction nightmares dating back to "2001: A Space Odyssey."
�Do svidaniya ... Goodbye, Mr. Smith,� Russian flight engineer Valery Tokarev said as he and U.S. commander Bill McArthur began a six-hour spacewalk to perform maintenance and photography tasks.
The transmitter will 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.
The spacesuit project, known as SuitSat-1, was the brainchild of a Russian ham radio operator. It will send several words in code for schoolchildren listening on the ground. Radio operators will be able to pick up the messages by tuning into FM frequency 145.990 MHz with a hand-held ham radio, a police scanner or other ham-compatible equipment.
Along with the radio transmitter, the stuffed spacesuit also has internal sensors to monitor temperature and battery power. As it floats along, it will transmit its temperature, battery power and time it has been in space to the ground.
Students and others can track the spacesuit's location via the SuitSat.org Web site as well as a NASA tracking site.
�We expect the ham radio operators on the ground to be able to receive the suit signal for several days,� said Kwatsi Alibaruho, flight director for the spacewalk at NASA�s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
In addition to the electronic gear, the suit contained a commemorative CD with digital files of children's artwork � part of an educational project � as well as cast-off clothing from the station's crew. |
more info can be found here http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26jan_suitsat.htm
I think this is a really cool thing lol wish I had a radio lol.
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:39 pm |
|
That's just too funny! I love the improvisation that they use 
|
|
|
Ziona
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Aug 2001
Posts: 12821
Location: Michigan... for now
|
| Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:52 pm |
|
Hehe... WoW. That's funny ^^
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:53 pm |
|
lol, yeah, I agree. It is funny. How they can improvise like that...
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:06 pm |
|
| Quote: | Spacesuit Sends Signals From Space
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.
Source |
Interesting...
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
|
| Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:40 pm |
|
As astronauts (or cosmonauts), they should have realized that a spacesuit is mainly designed to keep heat OUT in sunlight. The life support systems (which were mostlty removed) keep the wearer warm in shadow. And modern electronics don't dissapate enough heat to keep warm in shadow.
-------signature-------
"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
Star Trek �, in all its various forms, are trademarks & copyrights of Paramount Pictures
This site has no official connection with Star Trek or Paramount Pictures
Site content/Site design elements owned by Morphy and is meant to only be an archive/Tribute to STV.com
|
Search
FAQ
Log in
