Engineering topics
Liou, J.-C.
Publications and source records attributed to Liou, J.-C..
Light Curve Observations of Upper Stages in the Low Earth Orbit Environment
Active debris removal (ADR) is a potential means to remediate the orbital debris environment in low Earth orbit (LEO). Massive intact objects, including spent upper stages and retired payloads, with high collision probabilities have been suggested as potential targets for ADR. The challenges to remove such objects on a routine basis are truly monumental. A key piece of information needed for any ADR operations is the tumble motion of the targets. Rapid tumble motion (in excess of one degree per second) of a multiple-ton intact object could be a major problem for proximity and docking operations. Therefore, there is a need to characterize the general tumble motion of the potential ADR targets for future ADR planning. The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office has initiated an effort to identify the global tumble behavior of potential ADR targets in LEO. The activities include optical light curve observations, imaging radar data collection, and laboratory light curve simulations and modeling. This paper provides a preliminary summary of light curve data of more than 100 upper stages collected by two telescope facilities in Colorado and New Mexico between 2011 and 2012. Analyses of the data and implications for the tumble motions of the objects are also discussed in the paper.
DebriSat - A Planned Laboratory-Based Satellite Impact Experiment for Breakup Fragment Characterization
DebriSat is a planned laboratory ]based satellite hypervelocity impact experiment. The goal of the project is to characterize the orbital debris that would be generated by a hypervelocity collision involving a modern satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO). The DebriSat project will update and expand upon the information obtained in the 1992 Satellite Orbital Debris Characterization Impact Test (SOCIT), which characterized the breakup of a 1960 's US Navy Transit satellite. There are three phases to this project: the design and fabrication of an engineering model representing a modern, 50-cm/50-kg class LEO satellite known as DebriSat; conduction of a laboratory-based hypervelocity impact to catastrophically break up the satellite; and characterization of the properties of breakup fragments down to 2 mm in size. The data obtained, including fragment size, area ]to ]mass ratio, density, shape, material composition, optical properties, and radar cross ]section distributions, will be used to supplement the DoD fs and NASA fs satellite breakup models to better describe the breakup outcome of a modern satellite. Updated breakup models will improve mission planning, environmental models, and event response. The DebriSat project is sponsored by the Air Force fs Space and Missile Systems Center and the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office. The design and fabrication of DebriSat is led by University of Florida with subject matter experts f support from The Aerospace Corporation. The major milestones of the project include the complete fabrication of DebriSat by September 2013, the hypervelocity impact of DebriSat at the Air Force fs Arnold Engineering Development Complex in early 2014, and fragment characterization and data analyses in late 2014.
Orbital Debris and Future Environment Remediation
Orbital debris is any man-made object in orbit about the Earth that no longer serves a useful purpose
Demonstration of a Particle Impact Monitoring System for Crewed Space Exploration Modules
When micrometeorite or debris impacts occur on a space habitat, crew members need to be quickly informed of the likely extent of damage, and be directed to the impact location for possible repairs. The goal of the Habitat Particle Impact Monitoring System (HIMS) is to develop a fully automated, end-to-end particle impact detection system for crewed space exploration modules, both in space and on the surfaces of Solar System bodies. The HIMS uses multiple thin film piezo-polymer vibration sensors to detect impacts on a surface, and computer processing of the acoustical signals to characterize the impacts. Development and demonstration of the HIMS is proceeding in concert with NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Project. The HDU Project is designed to develop and test various technologies, configurations, and operational concepts for exploration habitats. This paper describes the HIMS development, initial testing, and HDU integration efforts. Initial tests of the system on the HDU were conducted at NASA?s 2010 Desert Research and Technologies Studies (Desert-RATS). Four sensor locations were assigned near the corners of a rectangular pattern. To study the influence of wall thickness, three sets of four sensors were installed at different layer depths: on the interior of the PEM wall, on the exterior of the same wall, and on the exterior of a layer of foam insulation applied to the exterior wall. Once the system was activated, particle impacts were periodically applied by firing a pneumatic pellet gun at the exterior wall section. Impact signals from the sensors were recognized by a data acquisition system when they occurred, and recorded on a computer for later analysis. Preliminary analysis of the results found that the HIMS system located the point of impact to within 8 cm, provided a measure of the impact energy / damage produced, and was insensitive to other acoustic events. Based on this success, a fully automated version of this system will be completed and demonstrated as part of a crew "Caution/Warning" system at the 2011 Desert-RATS, along with a crew response procedure.
Effects of Low Activity Solar Cycle on Orbital Debris Lifetime
Long duration of low solar activity in the last solar minimum has an undesirable consequence of extending the lifetime of orbital debris. The AFRL TacSat-2 satellite decommissioned in 2008 has finally re-entered into the atmosphere on February 5th after more than one year overdue. Concerning its demise we have monitored its orbital decay and monthly forecasted Tacsat-2 re-entry since September 2010 by using the Orbital Element Prediction (OEP) model developed by the AFRL Orbital Drag Environment program. The model combines estimates of future solar activity with neutral density models, drag coefficient models, and an orbit propagator to predict satellite lifetime. We run the OEP model with solar indices forecast by the NASA Marshall Solar Activity Future Estimation model, and neutral density forecast by the MSIS-00 neutral density model. Based on the two line elements in 2010 up to mid September, we estimated at a 50% confidence level TacSat-2's re-entry time to be in early February 2011, which turned out to be in good agreement with Tacsat-2's actual re-entry date. The potential space weather effects of the coming low activity solar cycle on satellite lifetime and orbital debris population are examined. The NASA long-term orbital debris evolutionary model, LEGEND, is used to quantify the effects of solar flux on the orbital debris population in the 200-600 km altitude environment. The results are discussed for developing satellite orbital drag application product.
Active Debris Removal - A Grand Engineering Challenge for the Twenty-First Century
The collision between Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 in 2009 has reignited interest in using active debris removal to remediate the near-Earth orbital debris environment. A recent NASA study shows that, in order to stabilize the environment in the low Earth orbit (LEO) region for the next 200 years, active debris removal of about five large and massive (1 to more than 8 metric tons) objects per year is needed. To develop the capability to remove five of those objects per year in a cost-effective manner truly represents a grand challenge in engineering and technology development.
An Analysis of Recent Major Breakups in the Low Earth Orbit Region
Of the 4 recent major breakup events, the FY-1C ASAT test and the collision between Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 generated the most long-term impact to the environment. About half of the fragments will still remain in orbit at least 20 years after the breakup. The A/M distribution of the Cosmos 2251 fragments is well-described by the NASA Breakup Model. Satellites made of modern materials (such as Iridium 33), equipped with large solar panels, or covered with large MLI layers (such as FY-1C) may generated significant amount of high A/M fragments upon breakup.
Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Impact Inspection of the HST WFPC2 Radiator
Objectives: I.) Conduct micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impact inspection of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) radiator: a) Document the physical characteristics of large (> or equal to 300 microns) impact features. 1. Locations and distribution. 2. Crater shape, size, depth, volume b) Extract residues from craters for compositional analysis. c) Perform hypervelocity impact tests for data interpretation II. Use the data to validate or improve the near-Earth MMOD environment definition. a) Flux. b) Orbital debris versus meteoroids. c) Time history (limited).
Simulation of Micron-Sized Debris Populations in Low Earth Orbit
The update of ORDEM2000, the NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model, to its new version . ORDEM2010, is nearly complete. As a part of the ORDEM upgrade, this paper addresses the simulation of micro-debris (greater than 10 micron and smaller than 1 mm in size) populations in low Earth orbit. The principal data used in the modeling of the micron-sized debris populations are in-situ hypervelocity impact records, accumulated in post-flight damage surveys on the space-exposed surfaces of returned spacecrafts. The development of the micro-debris model populations follows the general approach to deriving other ORDEM2010-required input populations for various components and types of debris. This paper describes the key elements and major steps in the statistical inference of the ORDEM2010 micro-debris populations. A crucial step is the construction of a degradation/ejecta source model to provide prior information on the micron-sized objects (such as orbital and object-size distributions). Another critical step is to link model populations with data, which is rather involved. It demands detailed information on area-time/directionality for all the space-exposed elements of a shuttle orbiter and damage laws, which relate impact damage with the physical properties of a projectile and impact conditions such as impact angle and velocity. Also needed are model-predicted debris fluxes as a function of object size and impact velocity from all possible directions. In spite of the very limited quantity of the available shuttle impact data, the population-derivation process is satisfactorily stable. Final modeling results obtained from shuttle window and radiator impact data are reasonably convergent and consistent, especially for the debris populations with object-size thresholds at 10 and 100 micron.
Current and Near-Term Future Measurements of the Orbital Debris Environment at NASA
The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office places great emphasis on obtaining and understanding direct measurements of the orbital debris environment. The Orbital Debris Program Office's environmental models are all based on these measurements. Because OD measurements must cover a very wide range of sizes and altitudes, one technique realistically cannot be used for all measurements. In general, radar measurements have been used for lower altitudes and optical measurements for higher altitude orbits. For very small debris, in situ measurements such as returned spacecraft surfaces are utilized. In addition to receiving information from large debris (> 5-10 cm diameter) from the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, NASA conducts statistical measurements of the debris population for smaller sizes. NASA collects data from the Haystack and Goldstone radars for debris in low Earth orbit as small as 2- 4 mm diameter and from the Michigan Orbital DEbris Survey Telescope for debris near geosynchronous orbit altitude for sizes as small as 30-60 cm diameter. NASA is also currently examining the radiator panel of the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 which was exposed to space for 16 years and was recently returned to Earth during the STS- 125 Space Shuttle mission. This paper will give an overview of these on-going measurement programs at NASA as well as discuss progress and plans for new instruments and techniques in the near future.
Data Collected During the Post-Flight Survey of Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Impact Features on the Hubble Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Over a period of five weeks during the summer of 2009, personnel from the NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office and Meteoroid Environment Office performed a post-flight examination of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC-2) radiator. The objective was to record details about all micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impact features with diameters of 300 micron and larger. The WFPC-2 was located in a clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Using a digital microscope, the team examined and recorded position, diameter, and depth information for each of 685 craters. Taking advantage of the digital microscope's data storage and analysis features, the actual measurements were extracted later from the recorded images, in an office environment at the Johnson Space Center. Measurements of the crater include depth and diameter. The depth was measured from the undisturbed paint surface to the deepest point within the crater. Where features penetrate into the metal, both the depth in metal and the paint thickness were measured. In anticipation of hypervelocity tests and simulations, several diameter measurements were taken: the spall area, the area of any bare metal, the area of any discolored ("burned") metal, and the lips of the central crater. In the largest craters, the diameter of the crater at the surface of the metal was also measured. The location of each crater was recorded at the time of inspection. This paper presents the methods and results of the crater measurement effort, including the size and spatial distributions of the impact features. This effort will be followed by taking the same measurements from hypervelocity impact targets simulating the WFPC-2 radiator. Both data sets, combined with hydrocode simulation, will help validate or improve the MMOD environment in low Earth orbit.
Modeling of LEO Orbital Debris Populations in Centimeter and Millimeter Size Regimes
The building of the NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model, whether ORDEM2000 or its recently updated version ORDEM2010, uses as its foundation a number of model debris populations, each truncated at a minimum object-size ranging from 10 micron to 1 m. This paper discusses the development of the ORDEM2010 model debris populations in LEO (low Earth orbit), focusing on centimeter (smaller than 10 cm) and millimeter size regimes. Primary data sets used in the statistical derivation of the cm- and mm-size model populations are from the Haystack radar operated in a staring mode. Unlike cataloged objects of sizes greater than approximately 10 cm, ground-based radars monitor smaller-size debris only in a statistical manner instead of tracking every piece. The mono-static Haystack radar can detect debris as small as approximately 5 mm at moderate LEO altitudes. Estimation of millimeter debris populations (for objects smaller than approximately 6 mm) rests largely on Goldstone radar measurements. The bi-static Goldstone radar can detect 2- to 3-mm objects. The modeling of the cm- and mm-debris populations follows the general approach to developing other ORDEM2010-required model populations for various components and types of debris. It relies on appropriate reference populations to provide necessary prior information on the orbital structures and other important characteristics of the debris objects. NASA's LEO-to-GEO Environment Debris (LEGEND) model is capable of furnishing such reference populations in the desired size range. A Bayesian statistical inference process, commonly adopted in ORDEM2010 model-population derivations, changes a priori distribution into a posteriori distribution and thus refines the reference populations in terms of data. This paper describes key elements and major steps in the statistical derivations of the cm- and mm-size debris populations and presents results. Due to lack of data for near 1-mm sizes, the model populations of 1- to 3.16-mm objects are an empirical extension from larger debris. The extension takes into account the results of micro-debris (from 10 micron to 1 mm) population modeling that is based on shuttle impact data, in the hope of making a smooth transition between micron and millimeter size regimes. This paper also includes a brief discussion on issues and potential future work concerning the analysis and interpretation of Goldstone radar data.
NASA's Long-term Debris Environment and Active Debris Removal Modeling Activities
This slide presentation reviews the modeling activities for modeling of the long-term debris environment, the updated assessments of the environment, and the necessity to model the effectiveness of the technologies aimed at the removal of orbital debris. The model being used is named a LEO to GEO environment debris (LEGEND). It is a high fidelity three dimensional numerical simulation model with the capability to treat objects individually. It uses a Monte Carlo approach and a collision probability evaluation algorithm to simulate future satellite breakups and the growth of the debris populations.
Orbital Debris Quarterly News, Vol. 13, No. 2
Topics include: debris clouds left by satellite collision; debris flyby near the International Space Station; and break-up of an ullage motor from a Russian Proton launch vehicle. Findings from the analysis of the STS-126 Shuttle Endeavour window impact damage are provided. Abstracts from the NASA Orbital Debris program office are presented and address a variety of topics including: Reflectance Spectra Comparison of Orbital Debris, Intact Spacecraft, and Intact Rocket Bodies in the GEO Regime; Shape Distribution of Fragments From Microsatellite Impact Tests; Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Threat Mitigation Techniques for the Space Shuttle Orbiter; Space Debris Environment Remediation Concepts; and, In Situ Measurement Activities at the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office. Additionally, a Meeting Report is provided for the 12 meeting of the NASA/DoD Orbital Debris Working Group.
In Situ Measurement Activities at the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office
The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office has been involved in the development of several particle impact instruments since 2003. The main objective of this development is to eventually conduct in situ measurements to better characterize the small (millimeter or smaller) orbital debris and micrometeoroid populations in the near-Earth environment. In addition, the Office also supports similar instrument development to define the micrometeoroid and lunar secondary ejecta environment for future lunar exploration activities. The instruments include impact acoustic sensors, resistive grid sensors, fiber optic displacement sensors, and impact ionization sensors. They rely on different mechanisms and detection principles to identify particle impacts. A system consisting of these different sensors will provide data that are complimentary to each other, and will provide a better description of the physical and dynamical properties (e.g., size, mass, and impact speed) of the particles in the environment. Details of several systems being considered by the Office and their intended mission objectives are summarized in this paper.
Orbital Debris Quarterly News: No. 1 - Volume 13
Topics discussed include: new debris from a decommissioned satellite with a nuclear power source; debris from the destruction of the Fengyun-1C meteorological satellite; quantitative analysis of the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle 'Jules Verne' reentry event; microsatellite impact tests; solar cycle 24 predictions and other long-term projections and geosynchronus (GEO) environment for the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM2008). Abstracts from the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, examining satellite reentry risk assessments and statistical issues for uncontrolled reentry hazards, are also included.