Physical properties of orbital debris and orbital debris clouds

Anz-Meador, P.; Matney, Mark; Kessler, Donald J.

doi:10.1016/0273-1177(95)98760-l

Cited by 8 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…dark areas in BEI of figures 5,6,9,10 and 12) was a remnant of adhesive, interpreted by Anz-Meador et al . [20] as HVI residue from OD. However, LGG experiments using C-rich materials shot onto Al foil (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[14]) almost all intermediate-size (mm-scale) and larger (cm-scale) WFPC2 features were attributed to MM [19]. Re-examination of some of the largest features by [20] has now reassigned them all to OD origins, but did not discuss the widespread post-flight contamination on the surfaces which they prepared as embedded and polished sections. This difference in interpretation is particularly significant as up-to-date measurements of MM and OD particle flux are critical as calibration data in models such as NASA ORDEM and ESA MASTER [21], used to predict potential hazards to spacecraft.…”

Section: Introduction and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope

Kearsley,

Webb,

Grime

et al. 2024

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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Exposure of the Hubble Space Telescope to space in low Earth orbit resulted in numerous hypervelocity impacts by cosmic dust (micrometeoroids) and anthropogenic particles (orbital debris) on the solar arrays and the radiator shield of the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, both subsequently returned to Earth. Solar cells preserve residues from smaller cosmic dust (and orbital debris) but give less reliable information from larger particles. Here, we present images and analyses from electron, ion and X-ray fluorescence microscopes for larger impact features (millimetre- to centimetre-scale) on the radiator shield. Validated by laboratory experiments, these allow interpretation of composition, probable origin and likely dimensions of the larger impactors. The majority (~90%) of impacts by grains greater than 50 μm in size were made by micrometeoroids, dominated by magnesium- and iron-rich silicates and iron sulfides, metallic iron-nickel and chromium-rich spinel similar to that in ordinary chondrite meteorites of asteroid origin. Our re-evaluation of the largest impact features shows substantially fewer large orbital debris impacts than reported by earlier authors. Mismatch to the NASA ORDEM and ESA MASTER models of particle populations in orbit may be partly due to model overestimation of orbital debris flux and underestimation of larger micrometeoroid numbers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dust in the Solar System and beyond’.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope

Kearsley,

Webb,

Grime

et al. 2024

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…Especially in the low-earth orbit region, full of abandoned generate debris, mainly due to break-ups, explosions, collisions, etc. These accidents are currently the primary source of space debris [2,3]. People deal with space debris by avoiding, protecting, mitigating, and removing it [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design, fabrication and experimental verification of a drag sail based on thermal-driven controllable bi-stable shape memory polymer composite booms

Ming,

Chen,

et al. 2024

Smart Mater. Struct.

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Deployable drag sails are used for passively deorbiting defunct satellites and other spacecraft. Designing the deployable boom is the main challenge in this technology. We present a bi-stable shape memory polymer composite (Bi-SMPC) boom with high stiffness, a high unfolding/folding ratio, and consistent roll-out deployment. It was designed and fabricated by a strategy of controlling the gradual release of elastic energy stored in a bi-stable composite structure through thermal-driven shape memory polymer matrix. Two heating layer strategies were investigated experimentally to determine the optimal driving layer and driving parameters. Based on these parameters, verification tests of a four-stage deployment Bi-SMPC boom were conducted. Meanwhile, a proof-of-concept prototype of a four-stage deployment drag sail based on the Bi-SMPC booms was designed and fabricated. Tests were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the drag sail deployed by the booms. It was found that shape memory polymers can effectively control the deployment of bistable composite structures. The nickel-chromium alloy heating layer offers a more uniform driving temperature field compared to carbon fiber. The drag sail can be deployed successfully under the driving of four Bi-SMPC booms.

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“…In addition to annular structures of natural origin, in the last decades analogous matter distributions of anthropogenic objects formed around the Earth [31,32]. Indeed, as first pointed out by [33], collisions among artificial satellites would produce orbiting fragments, each of which would increase the probability of further collisions, leading to the growth of a belt of debris around our planet in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region 2 after just decades.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, annular structures occur also in several ring galaxies (or R galaxies); they are objects with approximate elliptical rings and no luminous matter visible in their interiors [28,29]. Furthermore, in some circumstances, as the result of interactions between galaxies, a ring of gas and stars is formed and rotates over the poles of a galaxy, resulting in the polar-ring galaxies [30].In addition to annular structures of natural origin, in the last decades analogous matter distributions of anthropogenic objects formed around the Earth [31,32]. Indeed, as first pointed out by [33], collisions among artificial satellites would produce orbiting fragments, each of which would increase the probability of further collisions, leading to the growth of a belt of debris around our planet in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region 2 after just decades.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Orbital Perturbations Due to Massive Rings

Iorio

2012

Earth Moon Planets

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We analytically work out the long-term orbital perturbations induced by a homogeneous circular ring of radius R r and mass m r on the motion of a test particle in the cases (I): r > R r and (II): r < R r . In order to extend the validity of our analysis to the orbital configurations of, e.g., some proposed spacecraft-based mission for fundamental physics like LISA and ASTROD, of possible annuli around the supermassive black hole in Sgr A * coming from tidal disruptions of incoming gas clouds, and to the effect of artificial space debris belts around the Earth, we do not restrict ourselves to the case in which the ring and the orbit of the perturbed particle lie just in the same plane. From the corrections ∆̟ (meas) to the standard secular perihelion precessions, recently determined by a team of astronomers for some planets of the Solar System, we infer upper bounds on m r for various putative and known annular matter distributions of natural origin (close circumsolar ring with R r = 0.02 − 0.13 au, dust ring with R r = 1 au, minor asteroids, Trans-Neptunian Objects). We find m r ≤ 1.4 × 10 −4 m ⊕ (circumsolar ring with R r = 0.02 au), m r ≤ 2.6 × 10 −6 m ⊕ (circumsolar ring with R r = 0.13 au), m r ≤ 8.8 × 10 −7 m ⊕ (ring with R r = 1 au), m r ≤ 7.3 × 10 −12 M ⊙ (asteroidal ring with R r = 2.80 au), m r ≤ 1.1×10 −11 M ⊙ (asteroidal ring with R r = 3.14 au), m r ≤ 2.0×10 −8 M ⊙ (TNOs ring with R r = 43 au). In principle, our analysis is valid both for baryonic and nonbaryonic Dark Matter distributions.

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Physical properties of orbital debris and orbital debris clouds

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope

Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope

Design, fabrication and experimental verification of a drag sail based on thermal-driven controllable bi-stable shape memory polymer composite booms

Orbital Perturbations Due to Massive Rings

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