Orlan spacesuit to become satellite!

[nacnud]

<font color="yellow">ARISS Seeks School Involvement in "SuitSat" Project<br /><br />NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 3, 2005--Plans are on the fast track to deploy a surplus Russian Orlan spacesuit this fall as a non-traditional satellite. Dubbed "SuitSat," the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project could become the most unusual Amateur Radio satellite ever orbited.<br /><font color="white"><br />Cool, sounds a better plan than just throwing surplus suits away. <br /><br /></font></font>

 

[najab]

><i>Cool, sounds a better plan than just throwing surplus suits away. </i><p>Well, they are throwing it away, just out the airlock instead of in the trash. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /></p>

 

[spacefire]

that seems like a very stupid idea. What scientific purpose is it going to accomplish? <br />just what we need in orbit: more useless junk. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[nacnud]

It won’t last long before it gets dragged back down to Earth.

 

[spacefire]

and how are thye going to make sure of that? put a thruster on it <br /><br />hand launched, even if opposite of the direction of the space station, it doesn't mean it will eventually fall back on Earth, just that its orbit will get slightly more oblong, with a slightly lower perigee. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[najab]

><i>hand launched, even if opposite of the direction of the space station, it doesn't mean it will eventually fall back on Earth, just that its orbit will get slightly more oblong, with a slightly lower perigee.</i><p>Actually, yes it does. Go read up on orbital decay and stop making yourself look like a fool.</p>

 

[spacefire]

everything decays. but it will take a long time, not a matter of weeks <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

the density is low compared to what? that of the ISS?<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[nacnud]

From the article.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Once deployed, SuitSat is expected to orbit the planet for several weeks before burning up when it enters Earth's atmosphere. <br /><font color="white"><br /><br />It is the suits low density that brings it down faster than might be expected<br /></font></font>

 

[CalliArcale]

To elaborate, the suit is very light for its surface area, which means that the small amount of drag from the upper atmosphere will have a much more pronounced affect on it than most space junk. The suit will reenter quickly. It's also large enough to be tracked from the ground, so any hazard will be detected fairly easily. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

ok..how long would it take the ISS to deorbit by itself? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[najab]

><i>everything decays. but it will take a long time, not a matter of weeks</i><p>Actually, at ISS's orbital altitude it <b>will</b> be a matter of weeks. The Station is much denser, and it looses about 50m/day of orbital altitude.</p>

 

[spacefire]

wow! you learn something every day. sorry for acting like such a tool <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>