I'm forwarding this for K1STO. Controllers had the astronauts drag their feet just a bit in order to get live video on NASA TV of SuitSat floating away  -- it was eerie even though everyone knew 'what was up'.  I planned to listen for it just prior to 3AM here but caught on NPR that it had gone silent after 2 orbits.  Nice to get the clarification from Rosalie, and I will try SWLing with my  J-pole.  73 Bruce 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: White, Rosalie, K1STO
To: Frahm, Bruce (Vice Dir, Midwest)
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 8:04 AM
Subject: SuitSat

Hello Bruce,

At around 4 AM, Frank Bauer monitored (using an Arrow antenna) the overhead pass and definitely heard a faint signal.  He heard a partial of the voice ID (it's his daughter, Michelle) and part of one of the voices of an overseas student. SuitSat is somewhat operational, but with an extremely low signal.  I used an HT, and only heard fluctuation in the signal.  Frank said, "We do not know what the next few days and weeks will bring."

The ARISS Team will have a news release later today about the experiment not having stellar transmissions, yet the program and the idea have been successful in several ways, and the team will continue to listen with hope for a change in the issue.  The ARISS Team is considering several unique ideas, that I think you all will like, on how to make use of the low-level signal.  We intend to get much more PR for Amateur Radio out of the experiment.  Meantime, we are reporting the bullet items below.  I can't post to ODV.

 73, Rosalie, K1STO

-We captured the imagination of students, hams and the general public, worldwide, on this unique experiment.
-We had well over 1 million Internet hits on www.suitsat.org, in the past 24 hours!
-Our student's creative artwork, lessons, signatures and voices have been carried in
space and are onboard the spacesuit---the students are travelers in
space as SuitSat rotates and orbits.
-We successfully deployed an amateur radio satellite in a spacesuit from
the ISS, demonstrating that this can be safely done.
-This international team was able to fabricate, test and deliver a safe ham
radio system to the ISS team, 3 weeks after the international space agencies
agreed to allow SuitSat to happen.
- SuitSat-1/Radioskaf represents a space pioneer.  We had less than total
success.  But we have captured imaginations of many, and we will learn from this activity, helping us and others grow from this experience.