On February 3, 2006, astronauts at the International Space Station sent an empty spacesuit tumbling through space all by itself … for science.
Known as SuitSat, this empty spacesuit was equipped with a radio transmitter that would constantly broadcast pre-recorded messages from scientists and students from around the world. It also broadcasted telemetry data, so amateur radio operators and citizen scientists on Earth could participate in tracking this creepy satellite. SuitSat only made it around the Earth twice before its batteries died prematurely, and it burned up while reentering Earth's atmosphere a few months later.
Known as SuitSat, this empty spacesuit was equipped with a radio transmitter that would constantly broadcast pre-recorded messages from scientists and students from around the world. It also broadcasted telemetry data, so amateur radio operators and citizen scientists on Earth could participate in tracking this creepy satellite. SuitSat only made it around the Earth twice before its batteries died prematurely, and it burned up while reentering Earth's atmosphere a few months later.
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TechTranscript
00:00 On this day in space.
00:03 On February 3rd, 2006, astronauts at the International Space Station sent an empty spacesuit tumbling through space all by itself for science.
00:12 Known as Suitsat, this empty spacesuit was equipped with a radio transmitter that would constantly broadcast pre-recorded messages from scientists and students around the world.
00:20 It also broadcasted telemetry data so amateur radio operators and citizen scientists on Earth could participate in tracking this creepy satellite.
00:29 Suitsat only made it around the Earth twice before its batteries died prematurely, and it burned up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere a few months later.
00:36 And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:40 (Electronic Sounds of Data)