A failed experiment, sadly.

“We’ve equipped a Russian Orlan spacesuit with three batteries, a radio transmitter, and internal sensors to measure temperature and battery power,” says Bauer. “As SuitSat circles Earth, it will transmit its condition to the ground.”

I woke up this morning around 5:30AM to try to a tune in the SuitSat but all I heard was static. I tried the antenna on my handheld, the mounted 2M in the back, and an inverted “v” on the roof but no luck. Then I heard the bad news: the suit was silent. Speculation is that the batteries were too cold to operate and failed shortly after deployment.

Even though this experiment failed, it’s this kind of spirit that drives us forward. Onward, SuitSat II.