APOD: SuitSat1: A Spacesuit Floats Free (2014 Apr 27)

[APOD Robot]

SuitSat1: A Spacesuit Floats Free

Explanation: A spacesuit floated away from the International Space Station eight years ago, but no investigation was conducted. Everyone knew that it was pushed by the space station crew. Dubbed Suitsat-1, the unneeded Russian Orlan spacesuit filled mostly with old clothes was fitted with a faint radio transmitter and released to orbit the Earth. The suit circled the Earth twice before its radio signal became unexpectedly weak. Suitsat-1 continued to orbit every 90 minutes until it burned up in the Earth's atmosphere after a few weeks. Pictured above, the lifeless spacesuit was photographed in 2006 just as it drifted away from space station.

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[geckzilla]

While we're on the topic of funny satellites, you might also want to check out this disco ball. I wonder what other strange and unusual satellites are out there? All we ever hear about are the famous ones like the moon, the ISS, space observatories, etc. There have been APODs on the cubesats which are cute but I'm sure there are more quirky ones out there.

[Beyond]

The things we get to see in APOD x 2.

[Nitpicker]

While we're on the topic of funny satellites, you might also want to check out this disco ball.

That certainly explains my urge to boogie when I'm out stargazing.

[Boomer12k]

A brief, Man-made Meteorite....

Great Picture.

:---[===] *

[Ironwood]

APOD has an opening for a proofreader.

[HellCat]

Don't you mean "...it WAS pushed (outside) by the space station crew..." ?

[hjfreeland]

Why is the English so bad on this post?

[Chris Peterson]

A brief, Man-made Meteorite...

Meteor.

[Chris Peterson]

Why is the English so bad on this post?

It isn't.

[geckzilla]

APOD has an opening for a proofreader.

Don't you mean "...it WAS pushed (outside) by the space station crew..." ?

Why is the English so bad on this post?

Why are there three people picking on this post? I just read it over a couple of times and found nothing that could prevent me from understanding it and nothing other than minor quibbles that I might have changed, myself. Anyway, I guess we'll all just have to

[owlice]

The text on astropix is missing a "was" that the text on Asterisk has. (Someone must have corrected it here.) I've let an editor know.

[ta152h0]

It is APOD and it is Sunday .........the boss is away so the children will play

[Ann]

In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the astronauts fell out of the spaceship (pushed by HAL, the crazy computer?) and tumbled helplessly through space. When I saw the movie back in 1969, I thought that that particular scene was incredibly scary.

Ann

[semaj]

What I have enjoyed about APOD is that it is mostly a non judgmental site. There are no arguments or nitpicking. The people that present this do it 7 days a week 365 days a years at no cost to me. I am a better person because of it. Enjoy the wonderful pictures and then the discussions...they will enlighten you.

[Astronymus]

the lifeless spacesuit

That's, what they told us... "whoooooo"

[geckzilla]

There were probably a few billion bacteria on the suit, so it wasn't entirely lifeless.

[BDanielMayfield]

Explanation: A spacesuit floated away from the International Space Station eight years ago, but no investigation was conducted. Everyone knew that it was pushed by the space station crew. Dubbed Suitsat-1, the unneeded Russian Orlan spacesuit filled mostly with old clothes was fitted with a faint radio transmitter and released to orbit the Earth. The suit circled the Earth twice before its radio signal became unexpectedly weak. Suitsat-1 continued to orbit every 90 minutes until it burned up in the Earth's atmosphere after a few weeks.

Wow, the lengths some people will go to get out of doing the laundry is amazing.

[Beyond]

In space, no one can smell the stink!

[BDanielMayfield]

In space, no one can smell the stink!

But only after they chucked it out the airlock. They were probably very happy to see it go.

[ta152h0]

what is the pressure inside the ISS in PSI and atmospheres ?

[Chris Peterson]

what is the pressure inside the ISS in PSI and atmospheres ?

One atmosphere (14.7 psi). That's standard on all spacecraft in order to avoid the need to raise the oxygen partial pressure.

[DavidLeodis]

Great photo. Having a controllable jet pack (to get me back!) I would love to float free in space (well I think I would ).

I notice that the APOD is orientated differently to the released photo. I prefer the APOD's way. Odd therefore that clicking on the APOD the photo brought up is the same orientation as it was released.