Re: [amsat-bb] Re: SuitSat Questions

["Edward R. Cole" <al7eb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 01:47 PM 12/27/2005 -0600, RANSOM, KENNETH G. (JSC-OC) (BAR) wrote:
>Andrew,
>Answers below each of your questions.
>Kenneth - N5VHO
>
>1) Why do they want to burn up a suit ?
>Answer: The suit has reached the end of its certification. These suits are
>normally just burned up inside of a Progress vehicle as trash. Why not use
>it for a little experiment?
>
>2) You have to equip the suit with electronics from earth, so why not just
>deploy the electronics.
>Answer: Could do that bue it is a lot more exciting and different.
>
>3) How come we have photos on earth of the suit that is in space to be
>burntup ?
>Answer: The photos are of a training mock-up. The actual suit is aboard the
>ISS.
>
>4) Where do the electronics and the suit finally meet ?
>Answer: Not sure what you mean by this. The radio components are added to
>the suit on orbit. The two parts are actually kept isolated from each other.
>The suit is just a compartment for the hardware to reside in.

Ken and all:

When I first heard of this experiment I wondered about the motivation to
burn up a space suit.  Of course it makes a neat project for outreach
programs and one for us hams.  But it occurred to me that perhaps NASA
might have another reason(s):
  
1) Maybe they were interested in the range they could track the suit
drifting away from ISS?  Might be useful information should a live
astronaut get into that situation.  
2) Observing the rate of orbital deterioration of a small object might lead
to better degree of precision for understanding atmospheric drag at the ISS
orbital altitude?

Pure speculation on my part, of course.
73's,
Ed - KL7UW 
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BP40iq,  Nikiski, AK      http://www.qsl.net/al7eb
Amsat #3212
Modes: V - U - L - S
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