Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2021 March 28

                     SuitSat-1: A Spacesuit Floats Free
                 Image Credit: ISS Expedition 12 Crew, NASA

   Explanation: A spacesuit floated away from the International Space
   Station 15 years ago, but no investigation was conducted. Everyone knew
   that it was pushed by the space station crew. Dubbed Suitsat-1, the
   unneeded Russian Orlan spacesuit filled mostly with old clothes was
   fitted with a faint radio transmitter and released to orbit the Earth.
   The suit circled the Earth twice before its radio signal became
   unexpectedly weak. Suitsat-1 continued to orbit every 90 minutes until
   it burned up in the Earth's atmosphere after a few weeks. Pictured, the
   lifeless spacesuit was photographed in 2006 just as it drifted away
   from space station.

                   Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
                      Tomorrow's picture: years of sky
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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