Astronaut Suit 'Flies Away' From Space Station And Burns Up In The Atmosphere (VIDEO)

Terrifying Clip Of 'Astronaut' Tumbling Into Space Is Real (But Not What It Seems)

If you've seen 'Gravity', you might assume this video of a space suit dramatically spinning away from the International Space Station into the void is just another trailer, or at worst an outtake.

It's real.

The clip shows a space suit being tossed from the airlock of the ISS, spinning around and heading towards the Earth.

So why have you never seen it before? Because there was no human inside that suit.

The clip went viral online over the weekend, but actually dates from 2006. It records an experiment known as SuitSat, in which Russian astronauts attempted to use as old space suit as a cheap way to place a satellite in orbit.

The suit was filled with electronics and transmitters, and pushed out into space. It then stayed in orbit for seven months, before tumbling into the atmosphere and burning up.

Close

What's Hot