The velocity distribution of collisional fragments and its effect on future space debris environment

Abstract

An empirical formula for the velocity versus size distributions of ejecta fragments obtained in a recent hypervelocity impact experiment has been scaled to include the projectile momentum and energy. The new velocity distribution of the ejecta is found to depend on the projectile energy, and the ejecta can now escape with a wide range of velocities for the same sized fragments when the target is impacted by projectiles with different sizes and energies. The effect of this new ejecta velocity distribution on the evolution of the future space debris environment is such that the newly generated ejecta fragments from collisions between orbiting objects can spread to various altitudes making other regions of space unsafe.