Protecting the Space Station from Meteoroids and Orbital Debris PDF Download

Author: Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309056306
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Author: Cynthia A. Belk
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Meteoroids
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
Descriptions are presented of orbital debris source, distribution, size, lifetime, and mitigation measures.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309219744
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Derelict satellites, equipment and other debris orbiting Earth (aka space junk) have been accumulating for many decades and could damage or even possibly destroy satellites and human spacecraft if they collide. During the past 50 years, various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) communities have contributed significantly to maturing meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) programs to their current state. Satellites have been redesigned to protect critical components from MMOD damage by moving critical components from exterior surfaces to deep inside a satellite's structure. Orbits are monitored and altered to minimize the risk of collision with tracked orbital debris. MMOD shielding added to the International Space Station (ISS) protects critical components and astronauts from potentially catastrophic damage that might result from smaller, untracked debris and meteoroid impacts. Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Program examines NASA's efforts to understand the meteoroid and orbital debris environment, identifies what NASA is and is not doing to mitigate the risks posed by this threat, and makes recommendations as to how they can improve their programs. While the report identified many positive aspects of NASA's MMOD programs and efforts including responsible use of resources, it recommends that the agency develop a formal strategic plan that provides the basis for prioritizing the allocation of funds and effort over various MMOD program needs. Other necessary steps include improvements in long-term modeling, better measurements, more regular updates of the debris environmental models, and other actions to better characterize the long-term evolution of the debris environment.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309059887
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 70

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Book Description
The space shuttle orbiter has already been struck many times by small meteoroids and orbital debris, but it has not been damaged severely. There is a real risk, however, that a meteoroid or debris impact could one day force the crew to abort a mission or might result in loss of life or loss of the shuttle itself. Protecting the Space Shuttle from Meteoroids and Orbital Debris assesses the magnitude of the problem and suggests changes that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration can make to reduce the risk to the shuttle and its crew. December

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309051258
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Since the beginning of space flight, the collision hazard in Earth orbit has increased as the number of artificial objects orbiting the Earth has grown. Spacecraft performing communications, navigation, scientific, and other missions now share Earth orbit with spent rocket bodies, nonfunctional spacecraft, fragments from spacecraft breakups, and other debris created as a byproduct of space operations. Orbital Debris examines the methods we can use to characterize orbital debris, estimates the magnitude of the debris population, and assesses the hazard that this population poses to spacecraft. Potential methods to protect spacecraft are explored. The report also takes a close look at the projected future growth in the debris population and evaluates approaches to reducing that growth. Orbital Debris offers clear recommendations for targeted research on the debris population, for methods to improve the protection of spacecraft, on methods to reduce the creation of debris in the future, and much more.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309219779
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Derelict satellites, equipment and other debris orbiting Earth (aka space junk) have been accumulating for many decades and could damage or even possibly destroy satellites and human spacecraft if they collide. During the past 50 years, various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) communities have contributed significantly to maturing meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) programs to their current state. Satellites have been redesigned to protect critical components from MMOD damage by moving critical components from exterior surfaces to deep inside a satellite's structure. Orbits are monitored and altered to minimize the risk of collision with tracked orbital debris. MMOD shielding added to the International Space Station (ISS) protects critical components and astronauts from potentially catastrophic damage that might result from smaller, untracked debris and meteoroid impacts. Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Program examines NASA's efforts to understand the meteoroid and orbital debris environment, identifies what NASA is and is not doing to mitigate the risks posed by this threat, and makes recommendations as to how they can improve their programs. While the report identified many positive aspects of NASA's MMOD programs and efforts including responsible use of resources, it recommends that the agency develop a formal strategic plan that provides the basis for prioritizing the allocation of funds and effort over various MMOD program needs. Other necessary steps include improvements in long-term modeling, better measurements, more regular updates of the debris environmental models, and other actions to better characterize the long-term evolution of the debris environment.

Author: David S. F. Portree
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Space debris
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
The 37-year (1961-1998) history of orbital debris concerns. Tracks orbital debris hazard creation, research, observation, experimentation, management, mitigation, protection, and policy. Includes debris-producing, events; U.N. orbital debris treaties, Space Shuttle and space station orbital debris issues; ASAT tests; milestones in theory and modeling; uncontrolled reentries; detection system development; shielding development; geosynchronous debris issues, including reboost policies: returned surfaces studies, seminar papers reports, conferences, and studies; the increasing effect of space activities on astronomy; and growing international awareness of the near-Earth environment.

Author:
Publisher: National Academies
ISBN:
Category : Meteoroids
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Author: National Aeronautics and Space Adm Nasa
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781729081167
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
The natural space environment is characterized by many complex and subtle phenomena hostile to spacecraft. The effects of these phenomena impact spacecraft design, development, and operations. Space systems become increasingly susceptible to the space environment as use of composite materials and smaller, faster electronics increases. This trend makes an understanding of the natural space environment essential to accomplish overall mission objectives, especially in the current climate of better/cheaper/faster. Meteoroids are naturally occurring phenomena in the natural space environment. Orbital debris is manmade space litter accumulated in Earth orbit from the exploration of space. Descriptions are presented of orbital debris source, distribution, size, lifetime, and mitigation measures. This primer is one in a series of NASA Reference Publications currently being developed by the Electromagnetics and Aerospace Environments Branch, Systems Analysis and Integration Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Belk, Cynthia A. and Robinson, Jennifer H. and Alexander, Margaret B. and Cooke, William J. and Pavelitz, Steven D. Marshall Space Flight Center ...

Author: Ashish Goel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Meteoroids and orbital debris are critical components of the space environment, threatening both Earth-orbiting and interplanetary satellites. While an impact from a large (> 1 mg) object is likely to cause catastrophic damage, spacecraft are more likely to be hit by dust-sized particles in the nanogram to microgram mass range. Traveling at speeds in tens of km/s, when these particles hit the satellite surface, they vaporize, ionize and produce a radially expanding plasma plume that can potentially damage electrical sub-systems on the satellite. While there is some empirical and statistical evidence of impact-induced electrical anomalies on spacecraft, the properties of the impact plasma and the mechanism by which it induces anomalies in spacecraft are not well understood. From a science perspective, measuring the properties of the impact flash and impact plasma can help us estimate the mass distribution, velocity distribution and composition of these particles. Space-based measurements of the properties of these particles have been limited and the information gained from ground-based radars and sky cameras is riddled with modeling uncertainties. To estimate the masses and velocities of the particles hitting the satellite surface, an optical sensing system comprising photomultiplier tube and high speed amplifiers was developed. To characterize the plasma that is created upon impact and to gain a deeper understanding of the impact phenomenon, a novel plasma spectrometer, called the Transient Plasma Analyzer (TPA), was developed for measuring the energy distribution of the impact plasma. The design of the sensor was optimized through particle tracing simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics software. An innovative approach of fabricating the sensor using printed circuit boards was implemented, following which, calibration was done using an electron source in a vacuum chamber. These sensors were deployed during ground-based hypervelocity impact tests at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) in Germany, Colorado Center for Lunar Dust Acceleration Studies (CCLDAS) and NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR). At MPI, optical flash was measured from impacts on a variety of spacecraft surfaces. A new data-driven scheme was developed for estimating the mass and velocity of the particle from the strength and temporal evolution of the optical signal. Our algorithm performed better than the heuristic of using just the rise time of the optical signal as an estimator of the impact speed. Using machine learning techniques, we were able to estimate the impact speed of particles with a mean estimation error of 6.40~km/s. This opens up the possibility of using impact flash measurements for distinguishing between meteoroid and orbital debris impacts and assessing which of the two sources of particles is a bigger threat to satellites in low Earth orbit. At CCLDAS and AVGR, the TPA was used to carry out measurements of impact plasma across a wide range of masses and velocities. A plasma evolution model was developed to infer properties of the plasma from the measurements made in Colorado. By comparing the output of this model with the sensor measurements, the initial plasma temperature and bulk expansion speed were estimated. Our results showed that the temperature and bulk speed values are in agreement with results obtained through hydrocode simulations and ground-based experiments by other researchers. The model also adds the unique capability of tapping into the measurements of plasma geometry for estimating the properties of the plasma immediately after impact. In conjunction with models based on the temporal evolution of the signal, our model can help probe the impact plasma close to the target surface, which is otherwise very difficult to measure directly. A Monte-Carlo elastic collision model was also developed to understand the role of neutrals in the response of the TPA for the high-mass impact experiments at NASA Ames. It was found that the presence of a neutral background modifies the behavior of the sensor, yielding a flat response for high energy particles. The flatness of the energy spectra measured at NASA Ames thus indicates that during high-mass impacts, the plasma gets energized to several tens of eV. It also gives us an idea of how signals scale across different mass and velocity ranges. These developments in sensors and techniques bring us closer to the goal of building a "black-box" to diagnose spacecraft anomalies and failures in future space missions. It also gives us the set of tools we need to explore various meteoroid and dust streams in the solar system to understand their origin, their composition and to make predictions about their future.