[BCVHFA] From ARRL letter

[Tom Isgro]

From:  K8CM <k8cm at arrl.net>  
To:  BCVHFA at mailman.qth.net, DIAL at mailman.qth.net 
Subject:  From the ARRL Letter 
Date:  Sat, 26 Aug 2006 13:05:54 -0400 (EDT) 


 From The ARRL Letter, Vol. 25, No. 34, August 25, 2006

LONG-SILENT SUITSAT-1 KEEPS GOING AND GOING

When SuitSat-1 -- the novel satellite built in a surplus Russian 
Orlan spacesuit -- was launched during a spacewalk from the 
International Space Station last February 3, those familiar with 
orbital mechanics predicted it would stay in orbit for 120 days at 
best. As of August 25, some 203 days (nearly seven months) later -- 
largely forgotten and its ham radio voice long since silent -- 
SuitSat-1 has defied the odds and remains in orbit some 155 miles above Earth.

A project of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station 
(ARISS) program, SuitSat-1, identifying as RS0RS, transmitted its 
voice greetings on 2 meters plus an SSTV picture thousands of times. 
Although its signal was far weaker than it was supposed to be for 
reasons never determined with any certainty, SuitSat-1 remained 
operational for more than two weeks.

ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, had credited 
ARISS-Russia's Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, and his colleagues with coming 
up with the SuitSat concept, called Radioskaf or Radio Sputnik in Russian.

The SuitSat-1 mission proved to be an Amateur Radio public relations 
bonanza. In addition to prompting dozens of news items on Web sites 
and in journals around the world, Reader's Digest judged SuitSat-1 
"Best Empty Suit" in its "America's 100 Best: The 2006 List" Popular 
Science ran an article about SuitSat-1 in its June issue called 
"Tossed in Space."

To keep the SuitSat-1 momentum going a bit longer ARISS and AMSAT in 
May announced a "Chicken Little Contest" 
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/ariss/suitsatContest.php>, in which 
participants pick the date on which they believe SuitSat-1 will drop 
out of orbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Entrants are only 
allowed one guess, and the winner will be the individual who picks 
the date closest to SuitSat-1's actual demise. Those who have not 
already entered may do so by filling out the online entry form on the 
AMSAT Web site. The odds could be in their favor.

Certificates will go to winners in each of three age groups. Winners 
not only earn bragging rights, but the fame and notoriety associated 
with successful satellite re-entry prognostication.

Even before SuitSat-1 went silent, ARISS and AMSAT already were 
discussing the possibility of a SuitSat-2 with contacts in Russia, 
although plans remain tentative at this stage. ARRL ARISS Liaison 
Rosalie White, K1STO, is among those named to the SuitSat-2 team, 
which will meet prior to the ARISS International Meeting/AMSAT Space 
Symposium October 5-10. Among other things, the team will look into 
the possibility of equipping SuitSat-2 with solar panels instead of 
just batteries, to extend its usable life. No formal announcements 
about SuitSat-2 are expected until around mid-October.

Meanwhile, the time grows nigh when Suit-Sat-1 will pick up enough 
additional drag from Earth's atmosphere that friction-generated heat 
will cause it to burn up and vaporize. Just when that will happen is 
still anyone's guess.




--
It's a kit-we can build it!

73,72, OO  
FP #41 NJQRP #338 Fists #2360
ARCI #9606 SOC #336 Norcal ARRL
Hamilton, Ohio EM79ri
Tom, K8CZ