Space station freedom debris protection techniques

Abstract

This paper describes some of the strategies for protecting Space Station Freedom (SSF) from the consequences of meteoroid and orbital debris (M&D) impacts. The protection strategy involves a multifaceted approach which includes, among others, maneuvering SSF to avoid collisions with orbital debris tracked by the U.S. space surveillance network, and shielding critical SSF components from smaller meteoroid and debris particles that are not trackable. Additional methods employed to reduce M&D hazards include: optimizing the shielding weight distribution to compensate for the significant anisotropic M&D flux, locating shielded components strategically to increase shadowing, and providing operational procedures to minimize risks in the event of debris shield penetration (e.g. depressurize storage tanks when empty, close hatches to unoccupied modules, etc.). An integral part of M&D risk management for SSF will be a long-term commitment by NASA to monitor the debris environment over the entire SSF operational period accompanied by assessments of SSF protection system adequacy whenever the environment is updated. Combining these approaches will decrease risks from the M&D threat, thereby increasing crew safety and SSF mission success.