On Feb 3, 2006, the crew of Expedition 12 released the SuitSat-1 into orbit around the Earth. SuitSat-1 is a Russian Orlan space suit that had reached the end of its life, but the cosmonauts added a radio transmitter and sensors to measure temperature and battery power to support one last four- to nine-day mission. Exceeding expectations, for more than two weeks, the space suit captured the attention of the world by acting as a temporary satellite, transmitting recorded messages and telemetry data that students and ham-radio operators could receive. A few weeks after the suit’s final mission began, it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up.
