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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."
Well presumably these suits would be doing a job up there. Meaning that some object is going to be in that orbit anyway. And, since this is a working satellite we're talking about it's orbit will be known and it will be tracked, so it's not really space junk at all.
You are so boring that when I see you my feet go to sleep.
If you read the article (yeah, yeah, I know -- fat chance) they said that the suit is being put into an orbit that will cause re-entry within a few months.
The only time when it would be "space junk" would be between the time when its batteries fail (after a "few days") and when it re-enters ("few months"). Given its size and known orbit, I don't think that's exactly going to be a daunting task to track and avoid.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Every geek should have a scanner.
... I can't think of a much better method of having it talk to people on the ground than what they're doing. What's your suggestion, have it switch a flashlight on and off?
They're dirt cheap -- you can get first and second-generation frequency-synthesized ones (so they don't require crystals, in other words) for next to nothing if you look around at flea markets, estate sales, etc. And even on eBay they're not terribly expensive.
Or you could go the route they suggest in the article, which is contact a local amateur radio club -- I am positive that you'd find someone who would be willing to help you tune into it.
It's not like there are a whole lot of alternatives to radio when you want to listen to something in space
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
But this is a *big* hurtling piece of death. If its orbit takes it too close to anything important, there'll be weeks or months of notice to move other stuff out of the way.
It's a non-issue.
And since it will burn up in re-entry, who gives a crap?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.