Orbital Debris: a Chronology
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19990041784 2020-06-15T21:40:25+00:00Z NASA/TP-1999-208856 January 1999 Orbital Debris: A Chronology David S. F. Portree Houston, Texas Joseph P. Loftus, Jr Lwldon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas David S. F. Portree is a freelance writer working in Houston_ Texas Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv Preface ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... vii Acronyms and Abbreviations ........................................................................................ ix The Chronology ............................................................................................................. 1 1961 ......................................................................................................................... 4 1962 ......................................................................................................................... 5 963 ......................................................................................................................... 5 964 ......................................................................................................................... 6 965 ......................................................................................................................... 6 966 ......................................................................................................................... 7 967 ......................................................................................................................... 8 968 ......................................................................................................................... 9 969 ......................................................................................................................... I 0 970 .........................................................................................................................I0 971 .........................................................................................................................II 1972 .........................................................................................................................14 1973 .........................................................................................................................17 1974 .........................................................................................................................18 1975 .........................................................................................................................19 1976 .........................................................................................................................21 1977 .........................................................................................................................23 1978 .........................................................................................................................25 1979 .........................................................................................................................27 1980 ......................................................................................................................... 31 1981 ......................................................................................................................... 33 1982 ......................................................................................................................... 36 1983 ......................................................................................................................... 41 1984 ......................................................................................................................... 43 1985 ......................................................................................................................... 45 1986 ......................................................................................................................... 48 1987 ......................................................................................................................... 52 1988 ......................................................................................................................... 55 1989 ......................................................................................................................... 59 1990 ......................................................................................................................... 63 1991 ......................................................................................................................... 70 1992 ......................................................................................................................... 77 1993 ......................................................................................................................... 89 1994 ......................................................................................................................... 98 1995 ......................................................................................................................... 103 1996 ......................................................................................................................... 111 1997 ......................................................................................................................... 121 1998 ......................................................................................................................... 137 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................... 139 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................... 142 |ndex ............................................................................................................................. 149 iii List of Figures Figure Page 1. Rate that a Catalogued Object is Expected to Pass within 100 yards of an Orbiting Spacecraft ..................................................... 2 2. Number of Objects in Low Earth Orbit as Estimated by Various Measurements ............................................................................... 3 3. Gabbard diagram .............................................................................................. 13 4. Whipple Bumper .............................................................................................. 16 5. Cutaway of Delta Second Stage ...................................................................... 38 6. Mesh Double Bumper (MDB) and Multi-Shock Shield (MSS) ....................................................................... 69 7. Window Replacement vs. Shuttle Orientation ................................................ 84 8. Stuffed Whipple Shield .................................................................................... 91 9. Radiator Leak Risk vs. Shuttle Orientation ..................................................... 120 10 Shuttle Radiator Fluid Loop Modifications ..................................................... 134 11. Shuttle Wing Leading Edge Modifications ..................................................... 135 iv Preface This chronology is an updated version of NASA RP- 1320, Orhital Debris altd Near-Earth Environmental Management: A Chronology, December 1993. It provides an overview of the development, growing aware- ness, and management of orbital debris issues from 1961 to February 1, 1998. The chronology is, of course, not exhaustive. Every effort has been made, however, to at least touch upon all the important aspects of the history of orbital debris. The expository sections (e.g., hltroductt'on - a Primer on the Proh[em) cover specific aspects of orbital debris research, awareness building, and management which cannot be treated adequately in the chronology entries. They also provide overviews of complex event sequences which are difficult to track through the entries alone. Included are entries describing important events in space history and space technology development which may not be directly related to orbital debris. One purpose for including these entries is to provide context for the orbital debris events. Another is to depict how human space activities have become increasingly complex, costly, and international in the past 4 decades. And at the same time, they have become increasingly vital to human civilization and increasingly vulnerable to the growing population of orbital debris. This document was compiled through research using the Scientific and Technical Information Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. In addition, David S. F. Portree conducted approxi- nlately 45 hours of interviews with key players in the history of orbital debris. Joseph P. Loftus, Jr., is co- author, yet was interviewed in the same manner as the other key players. To adequately attribute his informa- tion and interpretations, his interviews are included in the citations. The chronology makes no attempt to list all of the more than 150 known satellite breakups occurring in the period it covers. Only significant or illustrative breakup events are included.