Optical orbital debris spotter
Abstract
The number of man-made debris objects orbiting the Earth, or orbital debris, is alarmingly increasing, resulting in the increased probability of degradation, damage, or destruction of operating spacecraft. In part, small objects (<10 cm) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are of concern because they are abundant and difficult to track or even to detect on a routine basis. Due to the increasing debris population it is reasonable to assume that improved capabilities for on-orbit damage attribution, in addition to increased capabilities to detect and track small objects are needed. Here we present a sensor concept to detect small debris with sizes between approximately 1.0 and 0.01 cm in the vicinity of a host spacecraft for near real time damage attribution and characterization of dense debris fields and potentially to provide additional data to existing debris models.
- Publication:
-
Acta Astronautica
- Pub Date:
- November 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.07.031
- Bibcode:
- 2014AcAau.104...99E
- Keywords:
-
- ASAT;
- Anti-satellite Test;
- CCD;
- charge-coupled device;
- FOV;
- field-of-view;
- ISS;
- International Space Station;
- LDEF;
- Long-Duration Exposure Facility;
- LEO;
- Low Earth Orbit;
- S/C;
- spacecraft;
- SSN;
- Space Surveillance Network
