Space cadets, Ham ops & teachers...

[keeperofthehorses]

One of these days, I'm going to get a ham radio... Here's my update email for today:

NASA Science News for January 26, 2006

A very strange satellite is about to go into Earth orbit. It's "SuitSat," an empty spacesuit thrown overboard from the International Space Station. Using a simple police scanner or ham radio, you can listen to SuitSat when it orbits over your hometown.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26....htm?list165970

 

[Pepipony]

I got that one too, will stop by the Pawn shop tomorrow and see if I can pick up a cheap scanner

: Do you belong to Spaceweather.com 's email group as well? Cant wait to see how well I can see saturn. Have tried to zoom in to the ISS but no luck, sucker is too fast for me LOL

 

[keeperofthehorses]

I got that one too, will stop by the Pawn shop tomorrow and see if I can pick up a cheap scanner

: Do you belong to Spaceweather.com 's email group as well? Cant wait to see how well I can see saturn. Have tried to zoom in to the ISS but no luck, sucker is too fast for me LOL

Yes! I do get the spaceweather updates. I love those aurora alerts, though it's been quiet lately.

I remember the first time I saw Saturn through my scope. It was so unreal looking, it actually spooked me for a second. I've also tried to focus in on the ISS (with the shuttle attached, bigger target, lol) and couldn't. That baby sure clips along. One of the coolest things I was able to focus in on with my field glasses was that probe that crashed in the UT? NV? desert a year or so ago. It came blazing in with fighter jets escorting it, right over our valley. Very cool. I remember thinking "Is that thing supposed to be spinning like that?" I guess not.

Let me know how much you end up paying for a scanner. I've heard new they are around $200? I'd love to find a cheap one too.

 

[Pepipony]

Scanner, well, I wont be buying one new LOL Hubby is going to ask a Sherriff who's bike he is fixing LOL we'll see If not from him, then a Pawn shop for sure

I have yet to see Saturn, I SO cannot wait LOL Have seen venus, mars and Jupiter, but that one was with some older lens' , have some new ones that will bring it in up to 440x's but of course now the puter drive is flaking out grrrrrrrrrr I had seen MIR way back when, but cant get the ISS yet, usually its just so low in the southern sky We have a roving semi-geosynchorinous (sp?) sattellite I have seen a couple times, freaky looking LOL

We saw an Aurora about a decade ago ( cen TX) , hoping that when I go to Iceland this spring I will see at least one

Havent seen any probes, but have seen the shuttle being piggybacked LOL and of course heard the Discovery :no: at the time I assumed it was a well going up, kinda glad I didnt look up