The orbital debris hypervelocity impact effects

Paper number

IAC-05-B6.4.03

Author

Prof. Hewei Pang, Beijing institute of satellite environment engineering, China

Coauthor

Mr. Hongjian Dong, Beijing institute of satellite environment engineering, China

Coauthor

Prof. Bencheng Huang, Beijing institute of satellite environment engineering, China

Coauthor

Prof. Jingyu Tong, Beijing institute of satellite environment engineering, China

Year

2005

Abstract

This paper describes a new method to simulate small space debris by the laser driven flyer technique. A neodymium-glass pulsed laser was used in this work, capable of up 20 joules in 20 nanoseconds. A bonding method with field assisted thermal diffusion was used to adhere an aluminum foil to the glass substrate. The laser is used to vaporize the interface of an aluminum foil diffusively bonded to a glass substrate. The vapor reaches high pressures and then cuts out and accelerates an aluminum disk in the diameter of the periphery of the laser beam. The debris velocity can reach 3km/s~5km/s with the diameter of 0.5mm~3mm.The study of extended launch technique which includes the velocity higher than 5km/s and the diameter smaller than 0.5mm are being carried out.
Solar array is the very important subassembly of a spacecraft. It is the weak part attacked by orbit debris easily because solar arrays have a large area exposed to severe space environment and they often operate in orbit for a long-term duration. Some retrieved solar arrays from orbit show that almost orbit debris which attack solar arrays are small particles. Small particles may not damage solar arrays catastrophically. But the accumulative damage effects produced by multiple impacts are severe. They will result in the decrease of transmittance of coverglass, degradation of photoelectric transformation and loss of power supply.
   The accumulative damage effects of hypervelocity impact to solar cells have being investigated with this facility in the Beijing institute of satellite environment engineering. The damage features of different morphology, pits or holes, have been studies. The degradation of photoelectric transformation dependence of different damage features has been determined. The test results were combined with orbital debris environment model and then the loss of power supply of a solar array degraded by orbit debris impacts was predicted for a long-term life spacecraft.

Abstract document

IAC-05-B6.4.03.pdf

Manuscript document

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