Assessment of the NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model.
Abstract
This report presents an assessment of the orbital debris engineering model which predicts near and long term orbit debris environments on spacecraft in low earth orbit. The model predicts debris flux environment, mass, and collision velocity distributions. The empirically based model is a curve fit to measured data and incorporates results derived from the NASA EVOLVE code. The data base includes US Space Command orbital element sets, Aricebo and Goldstone radar observations, MIT/Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test System and Ground based Electrooptical Deep Space Surveillance optical data, and surface impact data from the Solar Maximum Mission. The model is most sensitive to the small debris particles and becomes undefined as the particle size approaches zero. The model is least sensitive to changes in orbital altitude. The model predicts essentially constant flux > 1000 km and does not reproduce measured data at these altitudes. The uncertainty is shown to be a factor of 2-4 for an altitude of 500 + 200 km (all particle sizes) and for sizes > 10 cm (for all altitudes), and at least an order of magnitude for all other sizes and altitudes. The collision-velocity distribution, and particle mass expressions represent extremely gross approximations of the environment. On the basis of the results of the analysis, it is recommended the model's use be restricted to altitudes < 1000 km, debris sizes from 10 -4 to 10 -3 cm, and for projections through the year 2010.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA293350
Entities
People
- F. M. Jonas
- K. W. Yates