Abstract
All long-duration spacecraft, such as Space Station Freedom (SSF), are subject to impacts by micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MM/OD) particles in low Earth orbit. The secondary effects of such impacts on SSF was the subject of the Secondary Debris Impact Damage and Environment Study. The primary objective was the assessment of possible damage to SSF hardware in the vicinity of large surface areas impacted by typical MM/OD particles. Several SSF components were evaluated that showed varying degrees of damage due to secondary ejecta. A comparison of the results from 45° and 60° MM/OD impacts revealed that penetration ejecta had greater damage potential at 45° and ricochet ejecta had greater damage potential at 60°. The significant ricochet damage was concentrated within an angle of 15° with respect to the primary target. The impact distribution data was evaluated further using a previous math model. The comparison was inconclusive due to insufficient data within the bounds of the model. Preliminary results of the study showed that secondary debris has the potential to penetrate and induce some damage to SSF hardware. The failure of hardware due to the damage is unknown. Further testing with larger MM/OD particle sizes and varying impact angles is recommended.
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