Mir/ISS Scare Crow Walking?

AW&ST (4-11-05) carries on intersting short article about using a old
worn out Orlan space suit as a pressurized platform for student
experiments aboard the ISS. They are studying the hand release of the
suit by crewmemebers sometime in 2006. the article states that photos
of a spread-eagle suit floating away would be quite a sight The
article goes on to say that "there is some speculation" that cosmonauts
already have photos showing this "similar suit recycling" being done
aboard Mir. No information on when these photos, if they exist, may
have been taken. Wonder if we have ground based confirmation of this
"speculation" Rich

wrote in message
oups.com...
AW&ST (4-11-05) carries on intersting short article about using a old
worn out Orlan space suit as a pressurized platform for student
experiments aboard the ISS. They are studying the hand release of the
suit by crewmemebers sometime in 2006. the article states that photos
of a spread-eagle suit floating away would be quite a sight The
article goes on to say that "there is some speculation" that cosmonauts
already have photos showing this "similar suit recycling" being done
aboard Mir. No information on when these photos, if they exist, may
have been taken. Wonder if we have ground based confirmation of this
"speculation" Rich


The concept of a "Suit Sat" was presented at the AMSAT's 2004 Space
Symposium and Annual Meeting at Arlington Virginia (October 8 - 10) by the
AMSAT's international support group for ISS Alpha.

G. Beat
w9gb

I saw the suit diagrams on the AMSAT site. Sounds like a great idea
for any number of different payloads. SAT in the can so to speak. Any
clarification on the any previous Russian "launches"? Rich:
wrote in message
oups.com...
AW&ST (4-11-05) carries on intersting short article about using a
old
worn out Orlan space suit as a pressurized platform for student
experiments aboard the ISS. They are studying the hand release of
the
suit by crewmemebers sometime in 2006. the article states that
photos
of a spread-eagle suit floating away would be quite a sight The
article goes on to say that "there is some speculation" that
cosmonauts
already have photos showing this "similar suit recycling" being
done
aboard Mir. No information on when these photos, if they exist,
may
have been taken. Wonder if we have ground based confirmation of
this
"speculation" Rich


The concept of a "Suit Sat" was presented at the AMSAT's 2004 Space
Symposium and Annual Meeting at Arlington Virginia (October 8 - 10)
by the
AMSAT's international support group for ISS Alpha.

G. Beat
w9gb

wrote in message
ups.com...
I saw the suit diagrams on the AMSAT site. Sounds like a great idea
for any number of different payloads. SAT in the can so to speak. Any
clarification on the any previous Russian "launches"? Rich:

Rich -

The session was presented by Russian and US representatives. As I
understand it (from interpreter), this had been done on an earlier flight or
MIR mission (no specifics given). Give the current ISS orbit and altitude -
the "SuitSat" would have 30 to 90 days of operation. In addition tot he
various telemetry and radio experiments -- and interesting proposal is to
have a TV camera mounted in the helmet. The camera would "look out" the
visor (just like a cosmonaut would). It would definitely provide a
different view from orbit -- and provide some interest for downlinking the
video to elementary and middle school students -- who would have a "live"
camera to view. Of course, a camera - leads to a requirement for a simple
orientation mechanism.

Greg

wrote ...
I saw the suit diagrams on the AMSAT site. Sounds like a great idea
for any number of different payloads. SAT in the can so to speak. Any
clarification on the any previous Russian "launches"? Rich:

and the URL of those views is ... please?

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...

wrote ...
I saw the suit diagrams on the AMSAT site. Sounds like a great idea
for any number of different payloads. SAT in the can so to speak. Any
clarification on the any previous Russian "launches"? Rich:

and the URL of those views is ... please?


Jim -

I'm sorry - forgot to post the reference links
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/archi...osium/updates/

Surgei Samburov breifing AMSAT conference on his "SuitSat" proposal
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/archi...lery.php?id=38

"Being called "SuitSat" for now, the idea--from ARISS-Russia's Sergei
Samburov, RV3DR--sparked wide-ranging discussion among delegates to the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Team
meeting October 11-13, 2004 in Alexandria, Virginia. With diminishing
stowage space aboard the ISS, several Orlan spacesuits used for space walks
have been declared surplus."
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/19/1/?nc=1

Diagrams from AMSAT Journal - Ed Long is the AMSAT journal editor.
( The notations on the photo are in Russian)
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/archi...hoto.php?id=26

SAREX / ARISS Working Group Report - January 2005
http://www.arrl.org/announce/reports...y/22-SAREX.doc

Jim - The last UPDATE I have read was from ANS monthly report (March 28th):

SuitSat Meeting Held:
The U.S. SuitSat team met via teleconference on Thursday, March 24. The
discussion covered the status of each satellite component. Also covered was
Kenneth Ransom’s meeting with a Russian EVA specialist in Houston who
relayed information on how to mount the earth sensor to the helmet and the
switches to be used on the project.

As I remember the original project "window" -- the Orlan suit will be
available for Fall 2005 ("launch" from ISS), with the next opportunity for
an Orlan suit not coming until 2007.

From AMSAT UK:

"ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International
Teleconference was held on Tuesday, 15 March 2005. Agenda items covered
included an update on the ARISS U.S. school backlog and how to handle it,
and the status of the Columbus Module. SuitSat was also discussed. The next
ARISS International Teleconference will be held on April 19, 2005. "

So the next ARISS teleconference is scheduled in 5 days - may have some
additional updates at that time on the project.

Greg
w9gb

"gb" wrote
I'm sorry - forgot to post the reference links

great! this is a really ingenious project
and I need to encourage my clients to pay attention.

"gb" wrote:

and interesting proposal is to
have a TV camera mounted in the helmet. The camera would "look out" the
visor (just like a cosmonaut would). It would definitely provide a
different view from orbit -- and provide some interest for downlinking the
video to elementary and middle school students -- who would have a "live"
camera to view. Of course, a camera - leads to a requirement for a simple
orientation mechanism.

And they say mission creep is a NASA only phenomena.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

gb wrote:

The concept of a "Suit Sat" was presented at the AMSAT's 2004 Space
Symposium and Annual Meeting at Arlington Virginia (October 8 - 10) by the
AMSAT's international support group for ISS Alpha.



Then you hang a surplus Soyuz landing parachute on it as a solar sail
and get a photo of that. :-)

Pat

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...

"gb" wrote
I'm sorry - forgot to post the reference links

Great ! This is a really ingenious project!
and I need to encourage my clients to pay attention.

It was very well received at the conference ... and international
designer/assistance was available -
after the successful launch of "Echo" Oscar 51 a couple of moths earlier ...
it does have a "tight" project schedule.
Sergei Samburov, RV3DR deserves much credit for approaching his agency about
the possibility and then throwing to the conference as a "late program
addition".

G. Beat