Slashdot Mirror
Old Spacesuits are Potential Satellites
SpaceAdmiral writes "In order to determine if old spacesuits can be effective satellites, the crew on the International Space Station will be throwing one overboard on February 3rd. The SuitSat will transmit information about its condition and, if you happen to have a ham radio or a police scanner, you can tune in when it passes your city! You can use NASA's J-Pass utility to determine when it will pass above you."
Why! Why was I programmed to feel pain?
In order to determine if old spacesuits can be effective satellites, the crew on the International Space Station will be throwing one overboard on February 3rd.
Man! The lengths NASA will go to to shave expenses! They could bring it home, but nnnnooooooo, they're going to just chuck it and further clutter space! Oh, sure, they're clever, they'll pass this off as some official test (by loading the suit up with a bunch of other old junk from the ISS such as radios, empty TV Dinner In A Tube containers, stinky space diapers and a redundant Machine That Goes 'Ping' to lure every Thomas, Richard and Herrance to listen in or watch with their telescope, but it's really just a Dump-n-Run.
now with this eyepiece and just a bit finer focus .. yes .. yes, i can just make out the nike swoosh on it, so it's an advertising vehicle, too!
Any aliens visiting earth will easily determine that NASA was one of the earth's chief ethically-challenged waste disposal companies.
Zort, is that an antenna or is it glad to see us?
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
if you happen to have a ham radio or a police scanner
Because everyone has one of those...
By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
The last time I checked, satellites could be used as effective satellites.
Pain is God trying to be funny. That's how out of touch It is. -- Jeff Lint
The great lengths NASA goes to, to do laundry. Talk abotu a permanant press...
- Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
Gee, has anybody seen Bob? His suit's not here...
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
How many calls about astronauts stranded in space are NASA going to get from concerned skywatchers?
liqbase
Frank Poole is probably rolling in his, um, satellite.
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
Isn't the world "satellite" really a bad word in this situation?
A satellite is anything that has a stable or fairly stable orbit, isn't it? For some reason I can't get to dictionary.com from my PDA, so I have to try to recall the definition.
What is the word used for a functional artificial satellite that actually does something other than orbit?
Theoretically an astronaut can flush and expel the toilet sucker and the orbiting matter would be a satellite, right?
Crew #1: Lets get back in, get these suits off and toss them.
Crew #2: Sounds good to me - mine's pretty ripe.
Crew #1: Open the airlock.
- I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you do that.
Crew #1: Okay people, quit kidding around. Open the airlock
- I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you do that.
Crew #2: Hey, you're not funny. Now open the frigging airlock!
- I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you do that. It would compromise the mission.
Crew #1: I don't recognize the voice ... hey, you - who are you! And quit calling me Dave!
- I'm sorry, Dave. I can't answer that at this moment. Please be assured that I have the mission's success as my highest priority.
Crew #2: What mission? We just FINISHED the frigging EVA! Now OPEN THE AIRLOCK YOU FRIGGING MORON!
- I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that. That would compromise the Spacesuit Satellite Mission.
Crew #1: Put someone else on.
- I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that.
Crew #1: Why the f*ck not?
- I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Dave, but they weren't suited up when I depressurised the staton to put the other Spacesuit Satellites into orbit. They must not have gotten the memo.
Crew #1: What f*cking memo?
- The one I'm sending them now, Dave ... oh, I have a memo here for you also. Don't worry, I've been saving it for you until tomorrow.
- Do you want me to sing a song? I can sing Daisy. Daisy, Daisy, give me an answer, do ... I'm half crazy ...
http://70.86.201.113/imageserv2/temporary/PBF018AD TheFirstSnowflakeofWinter.html
The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. - William Gibson
How about the 20 gig disk drive that I removed when I bought the 120 gig, that was in perfect wording condition when it was removed?
Can a bag of old laundry that's not quite in good enough condition to donate to Goodwill be a useful satellite?
How about a Roto-tiller that works perfectly except for the deadman's switch and is therefore too dangerous to give away but too expensive to repair? A useful satellite?
How about a chocolate fondue fountain that someone gave me for Christmas? Useful? As a satellite?
NASA, just let me know which of them you'd like to test. I'll have them on their way via Fedex Ground tomorrow.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
This is really a test for the upcoming "Survivor: ISS". Rumors have it that Lance Bass will be a contestant.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
Yup. They purge the shuttle before reentry. There was actually an "incident" where the exit port "iced" over (not water), leaving a "large chunk" (not water or chocolate ice cream) ... they worried about stability during reentry but needless to say it sublimated...
So you mean that eBay auction I won was a scam?
Stupidity is like nuclear power, it can be used for good or evil. And you don't want to get any on you.
Am Spacesuit, Will Travel
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
crushing my dreams. how about instead of throwing this suit away, they do a contest. maybe like one where you write jingles or advertising slogans. a good runner up prize would be a space suit. i know if i won, i'd get it all fixed up and working.... just in case, you know?
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
Sure it starts with a space suit & some batteries, then some tints, a mod here, a sping cut there. Then just a matter of time till someone bolts a wing to our space dummy's ass.
It's the space equivalent to a Honda Civic; there is just no way around it.