International Radio Amateurs' Organization

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has announced that the International Space Station crew is tentatively scheduled to deploy "SuitSat" Thursday, February 2. Possibly the most unusual Earth satellite ever, SuitSat consists of a surplus Russian Orlan space suit converted into a transmit-only satellite with an FM downlink frequency of 145.990 MHz. Using the call sign RS0RS, it will transmit voice messages, telemetry and an SSTV image on a nine-minute cycle as it orbits Earth. The batteries powering the satellite are expected to last about a week after deployment, and SuitSat's free-floating, decaying orbit should cause it to re-enter Earth's atmosphere after some six weeks in space. The SuitSat signal should be strong enough to hear using a VHF transceiver or scanner and a simple antenna--thus making it an ideal project for students to monitor and track. SuitSat's payload also includes a CD containing hundreds of school pictures, artwork, poems, and student signatures. For more information, see article "This is SuitSat-1 RS0RS!" by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, on the AMSAT Web site.

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/articles/SuitSat/