Mission Briefing Introduction

NASA already has plans to protect the International Space Station. The main method uses a "Whipple bumper" much like that used by the STARDUST spacecraft to protect it from comet dust. This shield will vaporize and absorb debris up to 1 cm in diameter.

But there are tens of thousands of objects larger than 1 cm but still too small to be tracked by SPACECOM radar. How can we protect the Space Station from these objects? NASA is building Space Station components to resist impact from such collisions, but these measures do not provide complete protection by any means.

Some people have proposed using lasers to knock debris into the atmosphere, where it will burn up harmlessly. Others have suggested a garbage-collecting spacecraft. NASA is not working to develop any of these schemes, because of cost if nothing else. But by adapting the STARDUST craft to this mission, you may be able to keep the cost of your spacecraft low enough.

What should you consider when designing your spacecraft?

Launch        Protection        Power       Collection

 

Radar station image courtesy of NASA Whipple bumper image copyright 1996-97, California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Further reproduction prohibited.