Monitoring the Space Debris Environment at High Altitudes Using Data from the ESA Optical Surveys
- Paper number
IAC-06-B6.1.04
- Author
Dr. Thomas Schildknecht, Astronomical Institute University of Bern (AIUB), Switzerland
- Coauthor
Dr. Reto Musci, Astronomical Institute University of Bern (AIUB), Switzerland
- Coauthor
Mr. Tim Flohrer, Astronomical Institute University of Bern (AIUB), Switzerland
- Coauthor
Prof. Walter Flury, European Space Agency/ESOC, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Jyri Kuusela, Finland
- Coauthor
Mrs. Julia de Leon, Spain
- Coauthor
Mrs. Lilian de Fatima Dominguez Palmero, Spain
- Year
2006
- Abstract
In the framework of its space debris research activities ESA established an optical survey program to study the space debris environment at high altitudes, in particular in the geostationary ring and in the geostationary transfer orbit region. The Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) performs these surveys on behalf of ESA using ESA’s 1-meter Telescope in Tenerife. Regular observations were started in 1999 and are continued during about 100 nights per year. Results from these surveys revealed a substantial amount of space debris at high altitudes in the size range from 0.1 to 1 meter. The data was also used as input to generate ESA’s MASTER population model and to validate further tools like PROOF. Several space debris populations with different dynamical properties were identified in the geostationary ring. There is in particular a series of clouds in the orbital element space. Members of these clouds have very similar orbital planes. This in turn led to the hypothesis that the clouds were generated by explosive events, either real explosion or collisions. The data shows at least 8 distinct clouds whereas only two explosions are known to have occurred in the geostationary ring (a breakup of an Ekran spacecraft in 1978 and an explosion of a Titan rocket upper stage in 1992). The consistent ESA data set from the optical surveys offers the unique possibility to monitor these clouds, and the high-altitude debris environment in general over a time span of more than 5 years. The observed evolution of the clouds will be compared with the results from evolution models for debris clouds produced by explosions.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-B6.1.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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