Two optical observation campaigns during 1999 and 2000 were conducted to monitor the optical characteristics of the Proton 4 ullage motor population located in mainly geostationary transfer orbits about the Earth. This study attempted to physically characterize the intact ullage motors and those that have exploded in space using conventional large aperture binocular optics and 3rd generation image intensified video (commonly employed for non-military astronomical observation) in order to determine if optical signatures could reveal evidence as to which motors might be candidates for explosion. Some motors do not spin down through normally expected damping; explosions do not consistently result in the catastrophic destruction of the parent body involved; accelerations in the rotation rates of some intact ullage motors have been discovered; some fragmentations do not result in an increase in rotation of the surviving parent as might be expected. No conclusive evidence was obtained that could lead to positively identifying precursors for future explosion. Yet there is a strong probability of additional explosions until the majority of motors launched between 1982 and 1996 decay from orbit.
Proton ullage motor observations as possible precursors to explosions in space
2001
12 Seiten, 7 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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