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Orbital debris shape and orientation effects on impact damage to shuttle tiles
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Williamsen, Joel Evans, Steven W. |
| Copyright Year | 2006 |
| Description | Taking the damage results from a previous paper as a guide, and using a tile model created for the STS-107 accident investigation, we used the SPHC hydrodynamic code to evaluate the probable worst-case impact effects of flat, rectangular, "flake-shaped," orbital debris particles on Space Shuttle thermal tiles. We compared the damage from flakes with that produced by spheres. The flakes and spheres were sized according to a "characteristic length" (Lc) derived from radar cross-section measurements, and embodied in the NASA Standard Breakup Model (SBM). Impacts were simulated at near-normal obliquity, at 12 km/sec. We modeled the worst-case flake orientation: a corner-on impact, an orientation we term a "Face A-B" impact. Results of our simulations indicate that flake impactors are less damaging than spheres of the same Lc. Since spherical impactors have been assumed in analyses of shuttle orbital debris impact risk, we find that these risks may have been overestimated. This work represents a preliminary second step, i.e., a follow-on to [1], in developing a sensitivity analysis for the expected range of effects on damage considering spherical vs. non-spherical impactors, as recommended by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) report to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. |
| File Size | 5589597 |
| Page Count | 6 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20060024783 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t3kx0ch5w |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2006-01-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Space Transportation And Safety Accident Investigation Sensitivity Analysis Tiles Space Debris Simulation Space Shuttles Impactors Impact Damage Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
