Orbital Debris  Surface Examinations

Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF)

Debris smaller than about 1 mm cannot be detected easily by ground-based radars or optical telescopes. Space-based in-situ measurements have been the only means to characterize sub-millimeter debris populations. NASA has a long history of conducting space-based in-situ experiments on micrometeoroids and orbital debris, including instruments on the Explorer and Pegasus satellites in the early 1960's. More recently the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) measurements have provided NASA scientists important information not only on the micrometeoroid and orbital debris populations, but their orbital distributions as well. In addition, residuals inside craters on the returned surfaces can be analyzed to obtain the chemical compositions of the impactors. On average, two Shuttle windows are replaced per mission due to damages caused by micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts. Impacts on Shuttle windows and radiators are examined after each mission. The analysis results are part of the database NASA scientists use to define the sub-millimeter micrometeoroid and orbital debris environment. Other notable surface examination experiments include the Orbital Debris Collector (ODC), which was part of the Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP) experiment, and the Mir Solar Array Returned Experiment (SARE).

 

Orbital debris damage seen during Hubble Space Telescope repairs.		After in space repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope, the returned parts show many orbital debris impacts.
An impact that completely went though the antenna dish of the Hubble Space Telescope.		A close-up view of a panel from the LDEF spacecraft.