AbstractProper characterisation of the survivability of an unmanned spacecraft to debris impact must go beyond just a simple assessment of the probability of penetration. Some penetrative damage may be survivable, particularly if critical internal equipment is arranged judiciously. Consideration of the satellite architecture can be seen as a potentially cost-effective and complementary approach to the more traditional method of adding shielding mass. To quantify the benefits of both strategies, and identify candidate protection solutions for a typical satellite design, a new model called SHIELD has been developed. Competing protection options are evaluated using a survivability metric. Rapid convergence on one or more `good' designs can also be achieved with a built-in genetic algorithm search method. SHIELD's potential as a project support tool is illustrated by applying it to the survivability evaluation of a satellite currently under design. The effectiveness of the genetic algorithm is also demonstrated, but on a more idealised spacecraft design.
The implementation of cost effective debris protection in unmanned spacecraft
Advances in Space Research ; 34 , 5 ; 1090-1096
2003-12-19
7 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
The implementation of cost effective debris protection in unmanned spacecraft
Online Contents | 2004
|Cost Effective Debris Shields for Unmanned Spacecraft
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1999
|Achieving Cost Effective Debris Protection of Unmanned Spacecraft Using Shield (IAA 00-6.5.06)
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001
|Cost Effective Debris Resistant Composite Spacecraft Structures
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001
|