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NASA NTRS2001

In Situ Measurements of Meteoric Ions

Extraterrestrial material is the source of metal ions in the Earth's atmosphere, Each year approx. 10(exp 8) kg of material is intercepted by the Earth. The origin of this material is predominantly solar orbiting interplanetary debris from comets or asteroids that crosses the Earth's orbit. It contains a very small amount of interstellar material. On occasion the Earth passes through enhanced amounts of debris associated with the orbit of a decaying comet. This leads to enhanced meteor shower displays for up to several days. The number flux of shower material is typically several times the average sporadic background influx of material. Meteoric material is some of the earliest material formed in the solar system. By studying the relative elemental abundances of atmospheric metal ions, information can be gained on the chemical composition of cometary debris and the chemical makeup of the early solar system. Using in situ sampling with rocket-borne ion mass spectrometers; there have been approximately 50 flights that made measurements of the metal ion abundances at attitudes between 80 and 130 km. It is this altitude range where incoming meteoric particles am ablated, the larger ones giving rise to visible meteor. displays. In several rocket measurements isotopic ratios of different atomic ion mass components and metal molecular ion concentrations have been determined and used to identify unambiguously the measured species and to investigate the processes controlling the metal ion distributions The composition of the Earth's ionosphere was first sampled by an ion mass spectrometer flown an a rocket in 1956. In 1958 a rocket-borne ion spectrometer identified, fbr the first time, a layer of metal ions near 95 km. These data were interpreted as evidence of an extraterrestrial rather than a terrestrial source. Istomin predicted: "It seems probable that with some improvement in the method that analysis of the ion composition in the E-region may be used for determining the chemical composition of those meteors which do not reach the ground. Particularly, we hope to get information about the composition difference between particles of different meteor showers and also sporadic and shower meteoroids". These visions categorized the aims of many subsequent rocket-borne ion mass spectrometer experiments in the lower ionosphere, Although the use such measurements to deduce the composition of different classes of meteoroids has not been successful, the past four decades of rocket observations have provided po%erful sets of data for advancing our understanding of meteor ablation, meteoric composition, metal neutral and ion chemistry as well as ionospheric dynamics.

Grebowsky, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Possible Ursid Outburst on December 22, 2000

The Ursid shower has broad Filament-type outbursts around the perihelion passage of parent 8P/Tuttle, but also isolated narrow outbursts at aphelion. We calculated Tuttle's dust trail encounters in the same way as for the Leonid showers. We discovered that it takes 6 centuries to change the orbit enough to bring the meteoroids to Earth's orbit. During that time, the meteoroids and comet separate in mean anomaly by 6 years, thus explaining the unusual aphelion occurrences. We predict enhanced activity on December 22, 2000, at around 7:29 LT.

Jenniskens, Peter↗
NASA NTRS2002

Shergottite Impact Melt Glasses Contain Soil from Martian Uplands

Martian meteorite (shergottite) impact melt glasses that contain high concentrations of martian atmospheric noble gases and show significant variations in Sr-87/Sr-86 isotopic ratios are likely to contain Martian surface fines mixed with coarser regolith materials. The mixed soil constituents were molten due to shock at the time of meteoroid impact near the Martian surface and the molten glass got incorporated into the voids and cracks in some shergottite meteorites. Earlier, Rao et al. found large enrichments of sulfur (sulfate) during an electron-microprobe study of several impact melt glass veins and pods in EET79001,LithC thin sections. As sulfur is very abundant in Martian soil, these S excesses were attributed to the mixing of a soil component containing aqueously altered secondary minerals with the LithC precursor materials prior to impact melt generation. Recently, we studied additional impact melt glasses in two basaltic shergottites, Zagami and Shergotty using procedures similar to those described. Significant S enrichments in Zagami and Shergotty impact melt glass veins similar to the EET79001, LithC glasses were found. In addition, we noticed the depletion of the mafic component accompanied by the enrichment of felsic component in these impact melt glass veins relative to the bulk host rock in the shergottites. To explain these observations, we present a model based on comminution of basaltic rocks due to meteoroid bombardment on martian regolith and mechanical fractionation leading to enrichment of felsics and depletion of mafics in the fine grained dust which is locally mobilized as a result of saltation and deflation due to the pervasive aeolian activity on Mars.

Rao, M. N.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Baby Stars in Orion Solve Solar System Mystery

What do X-rays, meteoroids, infant stars in the Orion Nebula, and our solar system have in common? Perhaps much more than anyone thought. Eric Feigelson of Penn State University stumbled onto a connection one day while his thoughts were far from the solar system, turned toward the vibrant neighborhood of young stars, hot gas, and caliginous dust of the Orion Nebula. This nebula, 1500 light-years away, is visible to the naked eye in the constellation Orion, a gem to behold with a good pair of binoculars or a telescope under dark skies. In Orion, Feigelson inadvertently found a possible solution to a long-standing mystery about our own solar system: the presence of exotic isotopes locked away in meteoroids. Scientists have assumed that these short-lived isotopes - special forms of atomic nuclei, such as aluminum-26 and calcium-41 - were transported here by a nearby supernova. Only tenuous evidence for such an explosion exists, but what else could have made the isotopes? The isotopes are about as old as the solar system, and the Sun couldn t possibly have been powerful enough to create them. Well, maybe we need to give the Sun a little more credit. Feigelson found that very young, midsized stars in the Orion Nebula - in the same stellar class as our Sun except they are only a million years old - produce powerful flares visible in X-rays. His team spotted these X-ray flares with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. These baby-tantrum flares are indeed energetic enough to forge heavy isotopes, Feigelson says. If the infant stars in Orion can do it now, then our Sun could have done the same when the solar system was forming about 4.5 billion years ago, when the Sun itself was only a few million years old.

Wanjek, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Impact Imperative: A Space Infrastructure Enabling a Multi-Tiered Earth Defense

Impacting at hypervelocity, an asteroid struck the Earth approximately 65 million years ago in the Yucatan Peninsula a m . This triggered the extinction of almost 70% of the species of life on Earth including the dinosaurs. Other impacts prior to this one have caused even greater extinctions. Preventing collisions with the Earth by hypervelocity asteroids, meteoroids, and comets is the most important immediate space challenge facing human civilization. This is the Impact Imperative. We now believe that while there are about 2000 earth orbit crossing rocks greater than 1 kilometer in diameter, there may be as many as 200,000 or more objects in the 100 m size range. Can anything be done about this fundamental existence question facing our civilization? The answer is a resounding yes! By using an intelligent combination of Earth and space based sensors coupled with an infrastructure of high-energy laser stations and other secondary mitigation options, we can deflect inbound asteroids, meteoroids, and comets and prevent them &om striking the Earth. This can be accomplished by irradiating the surface of an inbound rock with sufficiently intense pulses so that ablation occurs. This ablation acts as a small rocket incrementally changing the shape of the rock's orbit around the Sun. One-kilometer size rocks can be moved sufficiently in about a month while smaller rocks may be moved in a shorter time span. We recommend that space objectives be immediately reprioritized to start us moving quickly towards an infrastructure that will support a multiple option defense capability. Planning and development for a lunar laser facility should be initiated immediately in parallel with other options. All mitigation options are greatly enhanced by robust early warning, detection, and tracking resources to find objects sufficiently prior to Earth orbit passage in time to allow significant intervention. Infrastructure options should include ground, LEO, GEO, Lunar, and libration point laser and sensor stations for providing early warning, tracking, and deflection. Other options should include space interceptors that will carry both laser and nuclear ablators for close range work. Response options must be developed to deal with the consequences of an impact should we move too slowly.

Campbell, Jonathan W.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Production Rates for Noble-Gas Isotopes in Eucrites

To get cosmic-ray exposure ages of meteorites from measured concentrations of cosmic-ray-produced ("cosmogenic") noble-gas isotopes, production rates for those isotopes are needed. The best production rates take into consideration the composition of the meteorite and the "shielding" of the sample (the pre-atmospheric size and shape of the meteoroid and the sample s location in the meteoroid). For ordinary chondrites, there have been many sets of measurements to establish production systematics. The Ne-22/Ne-21 is often used to help to get shielding-dependent production rates. We report here numerical simulations for the production of isotopes of the light noble gases He, Ne, and Ar in both basaltic and cumulate eucrites for several sizes.

Reedy, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Complex Exposure History of a Very Large L/LL5 Chondrite Shower: Queen Alexandra Range 90201

Compared to iron meteorites, large stony meteorites (less than 100 kg) are relatively rare. Most large stony meteoroids fragment during atmospheric entry, producing large meteorite showers. Interestingly, many of these large chondrites, such as Bur Gheluai, Gold Basin, Jilin and Tsarev appear to have a complex exposure history with a first-stage exposure on the parent body. The question is whether complex exposure histories are simply more readily detected in large objects or large objects are more likely to experience a complex exposure. Investigation of these two hypotheses is the motivation for this work in which we report on the exposure history of QUE 90201, a large L/LL5 chondrite shower found near Queen Alexandra Range, Antarctica. Previous cosmogenic nuclide studies have led to the consensus that most of the approx. 2000 L5 and LL5 chondrites from the QUE area are derived from a single object with a pre-atmospheric radius of 1-2 m. The terrestrial age of the QUE 90201 shower was determined at 125 20 kyr. Here, we present a more complete set of cosmogenic radionuclide results in the metal and stone fractions of eleven L/LL5 chondrites from the QUE stranding area, as well as noble gases in seven of these samples. The main goal of this work is to unravel the cosmic-ray exposure history of the QUE 90201 meteoroid. In addition, we will discuss the pre-atmospheric size and exposure history of QUE 93013 (H5) and 93081 (H4) with similar shielding conditions as the QUE 90201 shower and a terrestrial age of 145 +/- 25 kyr.

Welten, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

MSFC Stream Model Preliminary Results: Modeling the 1998-2002 Leonid Encounters and the 1993,1994, and 2004 Perseid Encounters

The cometary meteoroid ejection models of Jones (1996) and Crifo (1997) were used to simulate ejection from comets 55P/Tempel-Tuttle during the last 12 revolutions, and the 1862, 1737, and 161 0 apparitions of 1 OSP/Swift-Tuttle. Using cometary ephemerides generated by the JPL HORIZONS Solar System Data and Ephemeris Computation Service, ejection was simulated in 1 hour time steps while the comet was within 2.5 AU of the Sun. Also simulated was ejection occurring at the hour of perihelion passage. An RK4 variable step integrator was then used to integrate meteoroid position and velocity forward in time, accounting for the effects of radiation pressure, Poynting-Robertson drag, and the gravitational forces of the planets, which were computed using JPL's DE406 planetary ephemerides. An impact parameter is computed for each particle approaching the Earth, and the results are compared to observations of the 1998-2002 Leonid showers, and the 1993-1 994 Perseids. A prediction for Earth's encounter with the Perseid stream in 2004 is also presented.

Moser, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

MSFC Stream Model Preliminary Results: Modeling Recent Leonid and Perseid Encounters

The cometary meteoroid ejection model of Jones and Brown (1996b) was used to simulate ejection from comets 55P/Tempel-Tuttle during the last 12 revolutions, and the last 9 apparitions of 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Using cometary ephemerides generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory s (JPL) HORIZONS Solar System Data and Ephemeris Computation Service, two independent ejection schemes were simulated. In the first case, ejection was simulated in 1 hour time steps along the comet s orbit while it was within 2.5 AU of the Sun. In the second case, ejection was simulated to occur at the hour the comet reached perihelion. A 4th order variable step-size Runge-Kutta integrator was then used to integrate meteoroid position and velocity forward in time, accounting for the effects of radiation pressure, Poynting-Robertson drag, and the gravitational forces of the planets, which were computed using JPL s DE406 planetary ephemerides. An impact parameter was computed for each particle approaching the Earth to create a flux profile, and the results compared to observations of the 1998 and 1999 Leonid showers, and the 1993 and 2004 Perseids.

Cooke, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA's Lunar Impact Monitoring Program

NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office nas implemented a program to monitor the Moon for meteoroid impacts from the Marshall Space Flight Center. Using off-the-shelf telescopes and video equipment, the moon is monitored for as many as 10 nights per month, depending on weather. Custom software automatically detects flashes which are confirmed by a second telescope, photometrically calibrated using background stars, and published on a website for correlation with other observations, Hypervelocity impact tests at the Ames Vertical Gun Facility have been performed to determine the luminous efficiency ana ejecta characteristics. The purpose of this research is to define the impact ejecta environment for use by lunar spacecraft designers of the Constellation (manned lunar) Program. The observational techniques and preliminary results will be discussed.

Suggs, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Comparison of Ejecta Distributions from Normal Incident Hypervelocity Impact on Lunar Regolith Simulant

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is progressing toward long-term lunar habitation. Critical to the design of a lunar habitat is an understanding of the lunar surface environment; of specific importance is the primary meteoroid and subsequent ejecta environment. The document, NASA SP-8013, was developed for the Apollo program and is the latest definition of the ejecta environment. There is concern that NASA SP-8013 may over-estimate the lunar ejecta environment. NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) has initiated several tasks to improve the accuracy of our understanding of the lunar surface ejecta environment. This paper reports the results of experiments on projectile impact into powered pumice and unconsolidated JSC-1A Lunar Mare Regolith stimulant (JSC-1A) targets. The Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR) was used to accelerate projectiles to velocities in excess of 5 km/s and impact the targets at normal incidence. The ejected particles were detected by thin aluminum foil targets placed around the impact site and angular distributions were determined for ejecta. Comparison of ejecta angular distribution with previous works will be presented. A simplistic technique to characterize the ejected particles was formulated and improvements to this technique will be discussed for implementation in future tests.

Edwards, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Gravitational Focusing and the Computation of an Accurate Moon/Mars Cratering Ratio

There have been a number of attempts to use asteroid populations to simultaneously compute cratering rates on the Moon and bodies elsewhere in the Solar System to establish the cratering ratio (e.g., [1],[2]). These works use current asteroid orbit population databases combined with collision rate calculations based on orbit intersections alone. As recent work on meteoroid fluxes [3] have highlighted, however, collision rates alone are insufficient to describe the cratering rates on planetary surfaces - especially planets with stronger gravitational fields than the Moon, such as Earth and Mars. Such calculations also need to include the effects of gravitational focusing, whereby the spatial density of the slower-moving impactors is preferentially "focused" by the gravity of the body. This leads overall to higher fluxes and cratering rates, and is highly dependent on the detailed velocity distributions of the impactors. In this paper, a comprehensive gravitational focusing algorithm originally developed to describe fluxes of interplanetary meteoroids [3] is applied to the collision rates and cratering rates of populations of asteroids and long-period comets to compute better cratering ratios for terrestrial bodies in the Solar System. These results are compared to the calculations of other researchers.

Matney, Mark J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Lunar Regolith

A thick layer of regolith, fragmental and unconsolidated rock material, covers the entire lunar surface. This layer is the result of the continuous impact of meteoroids large and small and the steady bombardment of charged particles from the sun and stars. The regolith is generally about 4-5 m thick in mare regions and 10-15 m in highland areas (McKay et al., 1991) and contains all sizes of material from large boulders to sub-micron dust particles. Below the regolith is a region of large blocks of material, large-scale ejecta and brecciated bedrock, often referred to as the "megaregolith". Lunar soil is a term often used interchangeably with regolith, however, soil is defined as the subcentimeter fraction of the regolith (in practice though, soil generally refers to the submillimeter fraction of the regolith). Lunar dust has been defined in many ways by different researchers, but generally refers to only the very finest fractions of the soil, less than approx.10 or 20 microns. Lunar soil can be a misleading term, as lunar "soil" bears little in common with terrestrial soils. Lunar soil contains no organic matter and is not formed through biologic or chemical means as terrestrial soils are, but strictly through mechanical comminution from meteoroids and interaction with the solar wind and other energetic particles. Lunar soils are also not exposed to the wind and water that shapes the Earth. As a consequence, in contrast to terrestrial soils, lunar soils are not sorted in any way, by size, shape, or chemistry. Finally, without wind and water to wear down the edges, lunar soil grains tend to be sharp with fresh fractured surfaces.

Noble, Sarah↗
NASA NTRS2009

Recent Shuttle Post Flight MMOD Inspection Highlights

Post flight inspections on the Space Shuttle Atlantis conducted after the STS-11.5 mission revealed a 0.11 inch (2.8 mm) hole in the outer face sheet of the starboard payload bay door radiator panel #4. The payload bay door radiators in this region are 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) thick aluminum honeycomb with 0.011 in (0.279 mm) thick aluminum face sheets topped with 0.005 in (0.127 mm) silver-Teflon tape. Inner face sheet damage included a 0.267 in (6.78 mm) long through crack with measureable deformation in the area of 0.2 in (5.1 mm). There was also a 0.031 in (0.787 nun) diameter hole in the rear face sheet. A large approximately l in (25 mm) diameter region of honeycomb was also destroyed. Since the radiators are located on the inside of the shuttle payload bay doors which are closed during ascent and reentry, the damage could only have occurred during the on-orbit portion of the mission. During the August 2007 STS-118 mission to the International Space Station, a micro-meteoroid or orbital debris (MMOD) particle impacted and completely penetrated one of shuttle Endeavour's radiator panels and the underlying thermal control system (TCS) blanket, leaving deposits on (but no damage to) the payload bay door. While it is not unusual for shuttle orbiters to be impacted by small MMOD particles, the damage from this impact is larger than any previously seen on the shuttle radiator panels. One of the largest impacts ever observed on a crew module window occurred during the November 2008 STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. Damage to the window was documented by the crew on orbit. Post flight inspection revealed a 0.4 in (10.8 mm) crater in the window pane, with a depth of 0.03 in (0.76 mm). The window pane was replaced due to the damage caused by this impact. Analysis performed on residue contained in dental mold impressions taken of the site indicated that a meteoroid particle produced this large damage site. The post flight inspection after the subsequent mission, STS-119 in March of 2009, produced a large MMOD impact feature in a wing leading edge reinforced carbon-carbon panel. The crater measured 0.18 in (4.5 nun) in diameter and was nearly 0.037 in (0.93 nun) deep. The thickness of the silicon carbide coating that protects the carbon substrate is nominally 0.02 in (0.5 nun) to 0.04 in (1 mm), making this a significant impact into the RCC. The damage occurred on the upper surface of the panel, which experiences lower heat loads on re-entry. This poster will document the data collected from the impact sites and will include results of the Scanning Electron Microscope/Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analysis. Evidence will be presented that suggests a source of the impacts.

Hyed, James L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Capabilities of the Natural Environments Branch at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Revised 2009

The Natural Environment Branch at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has the responsibility to provide natural environments engineering support to programs and projects. The Natural Environments Branch is responsible for natural environments definitions, modeling, database development, and analytical assessments of effects. Natural Environments Branch personnel develop requirements for flight projects and provide operational support for space and launch vehicle systems. To accomplish these responsibilities, models and analytical tools have been developed in the areas of planetary atmospheres, meteoroids, ionizing radiation, plasmas and ionospheres, magnetic and gravitational fields, spacecraft charging modeling, and radiation effects on electronic parts. This paper will build on a previous paper published in 2006 and provide updated descriptions of the capabilities within the Natural Environments Branch1. Updates describing improvements and new releases of several analytical tools and models will be presented. Separate sections will specifically describe modifications in the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM), and the Marshall Solar Activity Future Estimation (MSAFE) capabilities.

Edwards, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Foam Core Shielding for Spacecraft

A foam core shield (FCS) system is now being developed to supplant multilayer insulation (MLI) systems heretofore installed on spacecraft for thermal management and protection against meteoroid impacts. A typical FCS system consists of a core sandwiched between a face sheet and a back sheet. The core can consist of any of a variety of low-to-medium-density polymeric or inorganic foams chosen to satisfy application-specific requirements regarding heat transfer and temperature. The face sheet serves to shock and thereby shatter incident meteoroids, and is coated on its outer surface to optimize its absorptance and emittance for regulation of temperature. The back sheet can be dimpled to minimize undesired thermal contact with the underlying spacecraft component and can be metallized on the surface facing the component to optimize its absorptance and emittance. The FCS systems can perform better than do MLI systems, at lower mass and lower cost and with greater volumetric efficiency.

Adams, Marc↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Space Debris Environment for the ISS Orbit

With thirty-five planned missions over the next five years, the International Space Station (ISS) will be the focus for manned space activity. At least 6 different vehicles will transport crew and supplies to and from the nominally 400 km, 51.6 degree orbit. When completed, the ISS will be the largest space structure ever assembled and hence the largest target for space debris. Recent work at the Johnson Space Center has focused on updating the existing space debris models. The Orbital Debris Engineering Model, has been restructured to take advantage of state of the art desktop computing capability and revised with recent measurements from Haystack and Goldstone radars, additional analysis of LDEF and STS impacts, and the most recent SSN catalog. The new model also contains the capability to extrapolate the current environment in time to the year 2030. A revised meteoroid model based on the work of Divine has also been developed, and is called the JSC Meteoroid Model. The new model defines flux on the target per unit angle per unit speed, and for Earth orbit, includes the meteor showers. This paper quantifies the space debris environment for the ISS orbit from natural and anthropogenic sources. Particle flux and velocity distributions as functions of size and angle are be given for particles 10 microns and larger for altitudes from 350 to 450 km. The environment is projected forward in time until 2030.

Theall, Jeff↗
NASA NTRS2000

International Space Station: Meteoroid/Orbital Debris Survivability and Vulnerability

This slide presentation reviews the surviability and vulnerability of the International Space Station (ISS) from the threat posed by meteoroid and orbital debris. The topics include: (1) Space station natural and induced environments (2) Meteoroid and orbital debris threat definition (3) Requirement definition (4) Assessment methods (5) Shield development and (6) Component vulnerability

Graves, Russell↗