NRP-1408, NASA REFERENCE PUBLICATION: METEROROIDS AND ORBITAL DEBRIS - EFFECTS ON SPACECRAFT (AUG 1997)

NRP-1408, NASA REFERENCE PUBLICATION: METEROROIDS AND ORBITAL DEBRIS - EFFECTS ON SPACECRAFT (AUG 1997)., The effects of the natural space environment on spacecraft design, development, and operation are the topic of a series of NASA Reference Publications* currently being developed by the Electro- magnetics and Aerospace Environments Branch, Systems Analysis and Integration Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center. The objective of this series is to increase the understanding of natural space envi- ronments (neutral thermosphere, thermal, plasma, meteoroids and orbital debris, solar, ionizing radia- tion, geomagnetic and gravitational fields) and their effects on spacecraft, thereby enabling program management to more effectively minimize program risks and costs, optimize design quality, and achieve mission objectives. This primer, seventh in the series, focuses on the source, size, and lifetime of orbital debris, discusses understanding the meteoroid and orbital debris environments in order to design spacecraft to survive debris impacts, and promotes awareness of debris mitigation policy. See NASA RP 1350 for an overview of eight natural space environments (including meteoroids and orbital debris) and their effects on spacecraft.