Micrometeoroid and Space Debris
- Paper number
IAC-11,C2,6,4,x11473
- Author
Mr. Kautuk Sinha, Manipal Institute of Technology, India
- Coauthor
Mr. Jayant Uppal, Manipal Institute of Technology, India
- Coauthor
Ms. Neeti Shetty, Manipal Institute of Technology, India
- Coauthor
Mr. Vignesh Chandrasekaran, Manipal Institute of Technology, India
- Year
2011
- Abstract
Space Environmental Effects and Spacecraft Protection This abstract deals with impact of micrometeoroid and space debris on spacecrafts and methods used for protection against them. Manned or unmanned spacecrafts crossing a certain altitude are vulnerable to damage by micrometeoroids and space debris . They are defragmented parts of asteroids and meteors (space rocks) or manmade debris (solidified exhaust from earlier missions, etc). Collision of space debris with the spacecraft structure can cause damage , considerable enough to cause problems in its control systems .Also, these collisions cause slow degradation of material properties .Various protective techniques are required for damage prevention and making the space mission a success .One of the most common techniques used for shielding against space debris and micrometeoroids is the usage of protective blankets made up of a material which can absorb the impulse produced due to collision without causing damage to the structure & also withstand the harsh environment of the outer space i.e. the material is so selected that it does not get degraded in the space environment . Presence of atomic oxygen, charged particles, and UV radiations are some of the causes of material degradation in space. The factors to be considered in the selection are : strength of the material, melting temperature , surface properties like absorptance and emittance, mass density , cost . These blankets are either multi or single layered depending upon the requirement. Some of the protective covers used are beta cloth, Kevlar, Tedlar, ceramic blankets and aluminum shields. Materials like Teflon can also be used but when used they should be bonded to a more durable support material such as Kapton. This is a necessity because Teflon loses its mechanical strength over a period of time in the space environment. Certain materials like Mylar, although acceptable as interior layer material of a multi layered shield ,is not compatible with the space environment when directly exposed to it .Thus , a shield is fabricated considering its reliability in space environment , its ability to withstand space temperature , weight constraints of the spacecraft and cost effectiveness.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)