National Aeronautics and Space Administration Orbital Debris Quarterly News Volume 18, Issue 2 April 2014 International Space Station Inside... Maneuvers Twice to Avoid Tracked Debris Nicholas Johnson After more than a year without a collision catalogued by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network. th Retires as NASA Chief avoidance maneuver, the International Space Station The second maneuver (18 in ISS history) (ISS) recently performed two maneuvers to avoid occurred on 3 April at 20:42 GMT. The predicted Scientist for OD 2 conjunctions with two separate debris pieces. The first conjunction was against mission-related debris maneuver was implemented at 1:30 GMT on 17 March from an Ariane 5 launch (International Designator First Results of against tracked debris (International Designator 2009-044D, U.S. SSN number 35758). The debris was WFPC2 Crater 1979-095BJ, U.S. Space Surveillance Network [SSN] a SYLDA (SYstème de Lancement Double Ariane) Analysis Presented satellite number 36917). This was the 17th ISS collision used to launch two satellites on an Ariane 5. This at 2014 LPSC 2 avoidance maneuver since 1999, but the first since object was in a highly elliptical orbit (25,842 x 295 km) 31 October 2012. The debris was a small, high drag with an inclination of 2.5° and had a drag eight times object that originated from the Meteor 2-5 spacecraft greater than the ISS. Due to the high eccentricity and NASA MCAT's (International Designator 1979-095A, U.S. SSN drag of the object, unusually large uncertainties were New Destination is number 11605). Meteor 2-5 was a Soviet meteor- associated with its trajectory prediction. Although the Ascension Island 4 ological satellite that was launched into an 880 km x final update prior to the maneuver indicated one was 865 km, 81.2° inclination orbit on 31 October 1979. not needed, with the fluctuations in the SYLDA’s orbit, Hypervelocity Impact The satellite has experienced multiple debris release a decision was made to perform the maneuver. ♦ Test with Large Mass events since that time, and 36917 was one of those Projectile 6 Space Missions NASA Resumes Haystack Data Collection and Satellite Box Score 9 After more than a 3-year gap in coverage, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Haystack radar has resumed collecting debris data for the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO). The Haystack collects data on objects as small as 5 mm in the low Earth orbit (LEO) region. The radar’s new name, reflecting its new capabilities, is the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR). The ODPO mission does not use wide-band, and will continue to use an X-band continuous waveform, most often staring at 90° azimuth and 75° elevation. Approximately one- Radome cap lift in May 2010 was one of the first steps in A publication of third of the time, the radar will stare at a south the HUSIR integration sequence. The HUSIR has increased the NASA Orbital azimuth to collect data on debris with lower W-band resolution while maintaining X-band sensitivity. Debris Program Office inclination orbits. Debris objects passing through continued on page 2 Orbital Debris Quarterly News Haystack Data continued from page 1 the beam are recorded when the signal-to- Auxiliary Radar (HAX) collected additional in LEO). However, HAX cannot substitute noise ratio (SNR) rises above a threshold. See hours of data to compensate for the loss of for the sensitivity of the larger radar, and it is ODQN, October 2013, p. 4 for more details Haystack data. With its wider beam, HAX good to have Haystack, now HUSIR, back in on how the ODPO uses the data. is useful in detecting larger, but still small, full operation. ♦ During the down period, the Haystack objects (approximately 2 cm and larger objects Nicholas Johnson Retires as NASA Chief Scientist for Orbital Debris environment definition, present and future, After joining NASA, Mr. Johnson worked and the operational and design implications of diligently to broaden and strengthen orbital the environment to both manned and robotic debris mitigation guidelines and standards space vehicles operating in Earth orbit. He was within NASA, the U.S. Government, and responsible for conceiving, conducting, and internationally. Due largely to Mr. Johnson’s directing research to define the orbital debris diligence, the U.S. Government Orbital Debris environment, for determining operational Mitigation Standard Practices were approved techniques for spacecraft to protect themselves in 2001 and the Space Debris Mitigation from the environment, and for recommending Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful techniques to minimize the growth in the Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) were adopted future orbital debris environment. first by COPUOS and later by the full United During his career, Mr. Johnson served Nations in 2007. Mr. Johnson led the U.S. in the Air Force as an aviation electronics delegation to the Inter-Agency Space Debris technician and had one tour of duty in Coordination Committee (IADC) from 1996 Vietnam. Later, as an officer in the U.S. Navy, to 2013. Mr. Johnson was an instructor and served as Mr. Johnson is the author of several Director of the Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow books including Artificial Space Debris with Division at the Navy’s Nuclear Power School. Darren McKnight and books on the Soviet Mr. Johnson worked in industry from space program. He has received many awards 1979 to 1996, first at Teledyne Brown including the NASA Distinguished Service Mr. Nicholas Johnson, NASA Chief Engineering and later at Kaman Sciences. He Medal, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Scientist for Orbital Debris since 1996, retired became an expert on space surveillance and the Medal, and the Department of Defense’s Joint on March 28 after 43 years of government Soviet space program. He also worked on the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. service and more than 35 years of working Strategic Defense Initiative and the F-15 Anti- Mr. Johnson’s many technical accomplish- orbital debris issues. As Chief Scientist, Satellite (ASAT) missile program. From these ments and his ability to simultaneously bridge Mr. Johnson served as the agency authority experiences, he became a strong advocate for cultural and technical divides will be sorely for orbital debris, including all aspects of limiting the growth of orbital debris. missed. ♦ First Results of WFPC2 Crater Residue Analysis Presented at the 2014 LPSC The annual Lunar and Planetary Science (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) (Colaux et al., #1727), Smaller Particle Impacts Conference (LPSC) brings together the world’s impact features and crater residues (Figure 1) (Ross et al., #1514), Larger Particles (Kearsley experts in the planetary sciences, astronomy, were presented at Tuesday evening’s Presolar, et al., #1722), and Experimental Simulation of geophysics, geochemistry, and geology to Interplanetary and Cometary Dust session. The Micrometeoroid Capture (Price et al., #1466). present their latest research results. The 45th posters, all bearing the titular prefix “Impacts Kearsley et al. (#1733) describes the LPSC was held 17-21 March 2014 at The on the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field and development of scanning electron microscope Woodlands, Texas. Five posters describing Planetary Camera 2”, examined Microanalysis (SEM) energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis the research and analysis efforts of the and Recognition of Micrometeoroid Composi- techniques and protocols required to categorize international NASA-European Space Agency tions (Kearsley et al., abstract #1733), Ion impact crater residues as being of orbital team examining the Hubble Space Telescope Beam Analysis of Subtle Impact Features continued on page 3 2 www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov WFPC2 Crater continued from page 2 debris, micrometeoritic (MM), or unknown and Ross, et al. discusses the recognition, and sulfide minerals on WFPC2 analogues. origins, though this poster, like all five, analysis, and interpretation of residues found Although conducted at lower velocities than concentrates on the MM component. Despite in these smaller features. About 90% of these expected for MM in LEO, the impact features the complex nature of the WFPC2 surface, contained hypervelocity impact melt features, and residue compositions closely match carefully calibrated EDX spectra allow the thus preserving information regarding the WFPC2 features. Their results validate the team to ascertain the compositional signatures impactor’s elemental constituents and origins. analytical methods presented in other posters of impactors. Colaux et al. describe techniques Figure 2 depicts one such crater and its for trace residue identification. developed at the University of Surrey’s Ion elemental enrichment compared to the surface Taken as an ensemble, these posters Beam Centre, using ion beam analysis, to baseline composition; this crater displayed an represent the first presentation of the extensive assess residue constituents for those craters excess of magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe) but analytical results generated by the international found particularly challenging to SEM-EDX not aluminum (Al), leading to the conclusion team’s comprehensive analyses of the WFPC2 analysis. Proton-Induced X-ray Emission that the trace element features are derived from impact features. The reader is directed to (PIXE) has demonstrated its superior ability the impactor and not the WFPC2 Al substrate. the Universities Space Research Association’s to find and assess the signatures for very low Kearsley et al. (#1722) describes the analysis of website, http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/ concentration impact residues. The majority 63 larger impact features (> 700 µm size) and lpsc2014/pdf/sess611.pdf, for electronic of impact features observed were small, not their residue materials. Price, et al. describes access to these posters. ♦ penetrating the WFPC2 thermal paint layer, team efforts to simulate the impact of silicate WFPC2 Radiator shield 2 mm 2 mm 2 mm Figure 1. (Top) STS-125 astronaut stows WFPC2 after removing it from the Figure 2: (Top) Elemental mapping for Mg, silicon (Si), and zinc (Zn) – the HST.