Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Boom! NASA to Demolish Spacecraft in the Name of Science | SPACE NEWS

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Satellite Collision From Space Debris in Orbit

By Leonard David
www.space.com
11-6-12
     Work is underway to create a spacecraft that won't be rocketed into outer space but will be purposely destroyed on the ground.

DebriSat is a 110-pound satellite that's a double for a modern low-Earth orbit spacecraft in terms of its components, materials used, and fabrication procedures. But once fabricated and tested, DebriSat is doomed.

The spacecraft will be the target of a future hypervelocity impact experiment to examine the physical characteristics of debris created when two satellites collide.

NASA and the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center are co-sponsors of DebriSat. The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston is leading the effort.

Impact risk assessments

Data gleaned from demolishing DebriSat will be valuable in the short- and long-term, said J. C. Liou of NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office.

"Collision fragments are expected to dominate the future orbital debris environment . . .
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1 comment :

  1. Sounds like a useful way to spend tax payer money :(

    ReplyDelete

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