Post on 12-Sep-2021
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Meteoroids and Meteor Storms:
A Threat to Spacecraft?
i " V"// /I/" ..-
April 20, 1999
B. Jeffrey Anderson
Electromagnetics and Aerospace Environments Branch
NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama, 35812
b.jeffrey.anderson@ msfc.nasa.gov
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19990041159 2019-04-12T23:33:28+00:00Z
Meteoroid Flux in Geosynchronous Orbit
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
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METEOROil) MASS (grams)
# m-2 yr-1
200
1/100
1/1,000,000
Size
0.008 m
0.7 m
8 in
Hypervelocity Impact Phenomena
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Courtesy .iohnson Space Center
Left: Flash x-ray sequence. Right: hnpact Damage to Graphite Epoxy Honeycomb_...{ 1/16" (5.82 rag) AI impact at 6.81 km/s on 24 layer MLI, M60J/954 Honeycomb, 0.040"/0.40"]...../
Impacts on LDEF Thermal Surfaces
(;c_,rgc C. Marshall Sl_a_c I"lik, ht ('cttn'r
ti_e_ .... bi_.ket backea by vapor deposited silver/inconel, paint (Exp. AOI'
i:)ecow,tea w_th 1_5 l.ti, ,-eflon film, silver & adhesive hacked (Exp. S 1005).
Impact Related Failure Modes
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Cables Short
Cables Cut
Pressure Vessels (explode/unzip)
Structure Failure
Tethers Cut
Window Damage
Light Leakage
Electromagnetic Pulse (Meteoroids only)
Fluid Line and Heat Pipe Leaks
Operator Error
MSTI-2 (9/94) ??
CERISE (7/96)
SEDS-2 (after mission)
Shuttle (3 replaced / 2 missions)
Olympus (8/93) ??
Shuttle Threat
Zenith Hourly Rate (ZHR)
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
-30,000 km 2
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Meteor altitude is about 100 km.
"Standard" Observer.
Dark, clear sky
- Magnitude 6.5 stars visible.
Radiant of shower directlyoverhead.
Zenith Hourly Rate is thenumber counted per hour.
Background: ZHR-_ 8.
Typical "Shower": ZHR -_ tens.
Meteor "Storm": ZHR > 1000
For a 300 m 2 Satellite, stormconditions risk is ~ 0.00001 hr -_
from visible-size meteoroids.
Meteor Showers
Meteors
Sporadic Background
Quadrantids
April Lyrids
Pi-Pullids
Eta-Aquarids
Day Beta-Taurids
Perseids
October Draconids
Orionids
L _omcls
DatesGeorge C. Marshall Space Flight Center
ZHR Peak Comet
8
Jan 1-6 80
Apr 19-25 15
Apr 21-26 40
Apr 24-May 20 35
Jun 23-Jul 5 20
Jul 15-Aug 21 75
Oct 7-10 20
Oct 16-30 25
Oct 20-Nov 30 12
Nov 15-20 10
Nov 25-Dec 17 60
Dec 20-24 5
unknown
Thatcher 1861 I
Grigg-Skjellerup
Halley
Encke
Swift-Tuttle
Giacobini-Zinner
Halley
Encke
Tempel-Tuttle
3200 Phaethon (asterok
_i:uttle/
Orbital Mechanics of Leonid Generating
Comet Tempel-Tuttle
Courtesy of Peter i3rown, University of Western Ontario
1998 Leonid Visual Observations
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Leonld 1998 ZHRs (Revised)
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, IMO ZHRs
• Mongolian Main Visual ZHRs
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1_ t5 16 17 18 19 20 21
Nove_::,Ller1998
, ........... Courtesy of W. Cooke and P. Brow..w,-"
1999 Leonid EncounterOrbit Analysis by P. Brown, UWO; Threat Analysis by W. Cooke, CSC Inc./MSFC
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
1965 1932 1899
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Encounter Velocity - 72 km/s.Peak Time = 02:20 UT on Nov. 18, 1999.
Estimated Peak ZHR - 1000 to 2000.
Width of Peak:_everal days.
F_T_,_,)roidMoss grams)
Less than 2 hours, but with enhanced activity for
1.E-04
Risk to Satellite Surfaces
1.E-07 1.E-06 1.E-05 '
3 E-5 - 5 E-6 ~ 9 E-7
1.E-03
i: ') ~ 1E-7 ~2E-8
Leonid Storm Mitigation Strategies
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Robust Design (Minimize exposed cables and fluid lines. Assure
a well grounded system.)
Understand your system's weaknesses --- plan accordingly.
November 18, 1999, 02:20 UT + 3 hours:
• Orient satellite to minimize cross-sectional area and vulnerable
surface exposure to the stream.
- No problem for solar arrays since radiant is about 82° from sun.
• Notify system controllers of the enhanced likelihood of spacecraft
anomalies. Keep the "Starting Team" on duty.
• Minimize operational changes, software uploads, and complex
operations during this period.
• Configure to minimize high voltages on board.
J
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
BACK UP SLIDES
Double Wall Penetration
Leonid Storm Peak
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Assumptions:
Zenith Hourly Rate = 5000
Flux = 2.8e-19 (zhr) m-1.3lm-2s-II
One Square Meter at Random
Orientation, One Hour Exposure0.020 Inch AI Back Wall
0.25 Inch Spacing to Bumper
No Earth Shielding
Total Probability of Penetration
2.7e-5 [m "2hr -1]
Critical Mass = 3.6e-6 g.
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-5 -4 -3 : .110 10 10 10 2 10
MASS (grams)
Double Wall PenetrationTaylor-McBride Velocity Distribution
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Assumptions:- 0.020 Inch AI Back Wall
- 0.25 Inch Spacing to Bumper
- One Square Meter, One Year
Exposure
- 1000 km Altitude
- Gr_3n / Space Station /
TM 4527 Flux
- Taylor& McBride Velocity
Distribution (3/97 Darmstadt
Conf.)
Total Probability of
Penetration = 0.026
.3xl0
.610
DOUBLE WALL PENETRATION MODEL
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ll_[l_llllllllIIIlllllIIllllll_U IlllllllIlllllll[lllll[II[ll_IIIlllllIlllllllIIILIII1IIIIIIl[\llllLl[IIii11111IlllllllIlllllll_lllllllIlllllllIIIlllllIIIIIIIII_111llllllliIVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIilll[_AJ_
-5 -4 -310 10 10 10"z
MASS (grams)
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10"1
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Conclusions
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Robust system design is the best protection against meteoroid
damage.
Impacts by small meteoroids are common on satellite surfaces, but
impacts by meteoroids large enough to damage well designed
systems are very rare.
Estimating the threat from the normal meteoroid environment isdifficult. Estimates for the occasional "storm" are even more
uncertain.
Common sense precautions are in order for the 1999 Leonids, but
wide-spread catastrophic damage is highly unlikely.
Strong Leonid showers are also expected in 2000 and 2001, but
these pose much less threat than 1999.
(;cor,_e C. Marshall Slm_c l"li,_ht ('truer
Results of half inch AI projectile impacting on 0.040 inch A1 plates at 6.1
km/s; 4 in. spacing; 0.125 in. back plate.