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PAM-D Debris Falls in Saudi Arabia After Nearly Eight Years in Orbit, a PAM-D Broken Off Or Burned Away

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PAM-D Debris Falls in Saudi Arabia After Nearly Eight Years in Orbit, a PAM-D Broken Off Or Burned Away A publication of The Orbital Debris Program Office NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 April 2001 Volume 6, Issue 2. NEWS PAM-D Debris Falls in Saudi Arabia After nearly eight years in orbit, a PAM-D broken off or burned away. A Boeing part were found in very similar condition after the (Payload Assist Module - Delta) upper stage number was clearly visible on the casing, reentry of a Delta 2 second stage over Texas in reentered on 12 January 2001 with one main further substantiating the identification. January 1997 (Orbital Debris Quarterly News, fragment being recovered in Saudi Arabia. The This was the second known Delta stage to Apr-Jun 1997). stage (US Satellite Number 22659, International partially survive reentry in less than a year. On Designator 1993-032C) along with a GPS 27 April 2000 a Delta 2 spacecraft (USA-91) was launched 13 May second stage (US Satellite 1993 and left in an orbit of 180 km by 20,340 Number 23834, Interna- km with an inclination of 34.9 degrees. The tional Designator 1996- heart of the PAM-D is a STAR-48B solid 019B), also from a GPS rocket motor (SRM) manufactured by Thiokol mission, reentered the Corporation. After burn-out the STAR-48B has atmosphere over the a mass of about 130 kg, a length of 2.0 m, and a Atlantic Ocean. Three diameter of 1.2 m. objects were recovered in The stage had been undergoing rapid South Africa after the catastrophic orbital decay since the first of the event: a stainless steel year, dropping from an orbit of 145 km by 800 propellant tank (~260 kg), km during the last week. The evening (~1900 a titanium pressurant local time) reentry over the sparsely populated sphere (33 kg), and a desert was observed, and one large fragment tapered cylinder (30 kg) was found about 240 km from the capital of which served as part of the Riyadh. The object, about 70 kg in mass, was main engine nozzle the main titanium casing of the STAR-48B, assembly. A propellant although most of the phenolic nozzle had tank and pressurant sphere Molniya Breakup The year 2001’s second fragmentation single track elsets were created. similar circumstances on 19 May 2000. Both event was that of the Molniya 3-26 spacecraft, The Molniya 3 series of spacecraft are were undergoing catastrophic decay at the time, 1985-091A, 16112. Launched from the Plesetsk communication payloads, the signal feature of i.e. perigee height was low enough that Cosmodrome on 3 October 1985 at 0726 UT which is the orbit pioneered and employed by significant aerodynamic forces were present, aboard an SL-6 (Molniya) rocket; this these vehicles. This event was the second such resulting in probable ablative heating and fragmentation event occurred on 21 February event in as many years. The Molniya 3-36 subsequent breakup. after approximately 5620 days on-orbit. Two vehicle (1989-094A, 20338) fragmented under Inside... ISS Space Shuttles Examined for Debris Impacts .................................................................. 3 International Space Station Debris Avoidance Operations .................................................... 4 Overview of the NASA/JSC Debris Assessment Software (DAS) Version 1.5 ....................5 International Space Missions and Orbital Box Score .............................................................. 12 1 The Orbital Debris Quarterly News NEWS The Environmental Implications of Small Satellites Deployed in LEO P. Anz-Meador density of intact satellites. This leads to an spatial density for a readily understood figure of Small satellites have historically made enhanced orbital lifetime since atmospheric drag merit. A suggested means of expressing this important contributions to Earth and space is inversely proportional to mass density. ratio is via units of Kesslers, abbreviated [Ks]. science, biology, communications, and Enhanced orbital lifetimes lead to a larger A unit ratio is 1 Ks, a constellation density for 2 technology. However, innovative concepts are spatial density at a given altitude and a longer cm characteristic length picosats twice that of being proposed which would significantly exposure time for other members of the on-orbit the modeled LANDSAT spatial density would reduce the size of spacecraft while increasing population. be 2 Ks, and so on. Of obvious import is that the coverage and, hence, the number of small Operational experience indicates that relatively few constellation vehicles can satellites deployed on-orbit. This article will current small satellites may be difficult to track combine to create the same effective spatial examine current and projected small satellite or collect radar cross section (RCS) data on; density as a larger number of objects in elliptical projects in terms of their physical characteristics future small satellites may therefore present orbits. Not perhaps apparent in this chart, and the overall environmental implications of considerable difficulties for the deterministic however, is the long-term effect. Whereas the small satellite utilization. tracking task. Tracking may be enhanced using debris cloud will disperse and eventually decay, The Russian delegation to the 18th IADC active beacons (operational vehicles only) or the small satellite constellation may be both meeting (June 2000, Colorado Springs) pre- passive dipoles or corner reflectors. However, strictly maintained in orbital parameters and sented a comprehensive overview of current and this is unregulated and not implemented (with replenished at regular intervals. Thus, a projected small satellite traffic; these data, as the exception of a dipole in the tether maintained constellation may be considered to well as general nomenclature, are available on- connecting the Picosat 1 and 2 vehicles) at pre- be equivalent to satellite breakups at regular line at Surrey Satellite Technology’s web site, sent. The small sizes of current vehicles, cou- intervals, the intervals being determined by the and so will not be discussed at length here. pled with their geometries and power competing factors of natural decay (orbital While most are on the order of 10 kg or greater requirements, result in (a) a short operational debris) versus decay and replenishment (small in mass, several satellites possess masses on the lifetime and (b) minimal, if any, maneuver satellites). order of 0.2 kg and a linear dimension as small capability. Both factors preclude either active In summary, small satellites may differ as 2 cm. Further, the NASA New Millenium collision avoidance or self-disposal. considerably from their larger cousins not only Program foresees so-called “femtosatellites” Considering these characteristics in toto, small in terms of dimensional and mass magnitude, with masses on the order of grams and dimen- satellites are analogous in many aspects to but also their orbital lifetimes. Conversely, the sions on the order of 2 cm and smaller. orbital debris clouds. operational lifetime of these vehicles are, at Constellations of such satellites, with numbers One means of assessing the environmental present, extremely short. This leads, therefore, in the hundreds of operational satellites, are impact of a large constellation of small satellites to scenarios involving large numbers of small, envisaged for space science, communications, is to compare the spatial density of the derelict satellites. These are in many ways and remote sensing work. The Russian analysis constellation to the expected spatial density of a analogous to a young debris cloud, and large of small satellite traffic indicates that these new on-orbit breakup. Figure 2 depicts such a constellations composed of very small satellites vehicles would differ in several major respects breakup debris cloud. This figure (courtesy of may be characterized as such in estimating from the current population. For example, the P. Krisko), generated using the current environmental impact. It is not too early to vehicle mass density portrayed in Figure 1 is in EVOLVE 4.0 breakup model, portrays the mod- begin educating small satellite owner/operators certain cases a factor of 4 larger than that of a eled spatial density of the LANDSAT 1 rocket as to the consequences of their activities, so as corresponding “classic” satellite. Here, individ- body debris cloud shortly after the event. The to both minimize environmental impact while ual data points are compared to the general spatial density of any constellation may there- yet maximizing their effectiveness. relation, first derived by Kessler, for mass fore be ratioed to the size-dependent debris 350 number > 2 cm 300 number > 3 cm 250 n > 5 cm 200 n > 10 cm 150 10 0 50 0 400 600 800 1000 1200 altitude [km] Figure 1. Small satellite mass densities (represented by dots) compared Figure 2. The modeled LANDSAT 1 R/B debris cloud for various to that of “normal” vehicles (represented by the line). debris sizes. 2 The Orbital Debris Quarterly News NEWS ISS Space Shuttles Examined for Debris Impacts Two Space Shuttles, Discovery (OV-103) meteoroids, one was orbital debris, and one was evenly divided between orbital debris and and Endeavour (OV-105), have recently been of unknown material. meteoroids. However, a significant number of examined for orbital debris and meteoroid In December Endeavour conducted the 11- impactors cannot be identified by type, impacts following missions to the International day STS-97 mission, which again included particularly for the smaller window strikes. Space Station (ISS) late last year. Both seven days docked to ISS. Although the Complete inspection details are provided in exhibited numerous impacts on a variety of number of identified window impacts decreased “STS-92 Orbiter Meteoroid/Orbital Debris inspected orbiter surfaces, covering more than to 30, the number of impacts to the radiators and Impact Damage Analysis”, JSC-29318, January 200 m2. the FRSI (12 and 6, respectively) actually 2001, and “STS-97 Orbiter Meteoroid/Orbital Discovery visited ISS last year on the STS- increased compared to the longer duration STS- Debris Impact Damage Analysis”, JSC-29373, 92 mission for seven days of its 13-day flight in 92.
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