MASTER 2005 - The Debris Risk Assessment Tool for the Space Industry

Abstract

The Meteoroid and Space Debris Terrestrial Environment Reference Model of the Euro- pean Space Agency, ESA-MASTER, has been developed to its next release, MASTER-2005. The Institute of Aerospace Systems at the Technische Universitat Braunschweig has been the main contractor for this project. In order to deliver results that can be used for risk analysis such as debris fluxes and spatial densities, and to ensure their credibility, a number of steps were undertaken. The first step was the initial definition of the orbital debris envi- ronment between 1957 and 2005. Based on models describing the properties of all known sources of orbital debris, combined with a database of known debris generating events, the development of the space debris population throughout this period was simulated, covering objects down to one micron diameter. The debris source models were a major point of activity in the project, as for almost all of them major changes have been implemented, based on the current state of knowledge. The purpose of MASTER is the characterization of the natural and the man-made particulate environ- ment of the Earth, and the fast and simple evaluation of the resulting effects on space missions. The model is based on a semi-deterministic analysis of a reference population derived from the simulation of all major space debris source terms. Meteoroids, as the natural component of the Earth particulate environment, are modelled according to state-of-the-art approaches for both, the sporadic background component and the meteoroid streams. MASTER consists of a flux and spatial density prediction tool which combines a quick assessment of spatial density characteristics with high resolution flux results and additional analytical capabilities. The MASTER application is shipped together with an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) and online documentation on a single DVD. The model can be installed and executed on a broad variety of platforms (SUN Solaris, Linux, Windows, and MacOS). For each simulated debris source, a corresponding generation model in terms of mass/diameter distri- bution, additional velocities, and directional spreading has been developed. A comprehensive perturbation model was used to propagate all objects to a number of snapshot epochs. In addition, objects larger than 1mm are simulated into the future based on three different scenarios. Currently, apart from spent payloads and upper stages (launch/mission related objects background - LMRO), MASTER considers fragmentations from on-orbit explosions and collisions, dust and slag from Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) firings, sodium-potassium (NaK) coolant droplets from RORSAT satellites, surface degradation particles (paint flakes), ejecta and West Ford needles (as part of the LMRO population). In order to describe the steady state natural meteoroid environment, the Divine-Staubach meteoroid model is implemented into MASTER. This model considers 5 distinct families of meteoroids and is available