AIUB Efforts to Survey, Track, and Characterize Small-Size Objects at High Altitudes

Details AIUB Efforts to Survey, Track, and Characterize Small-Size Objects at High Altitudes AIUB Efforts to Survey, Track, and Characterize Small-Size Objects at High Altitudes

Sep 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010amos.confe...1s&link_type=abstract

Proceedings of the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, held in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, September

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Since more than a decade the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) is investigating the small-size space debris environment in high-altitude orbit regions. Originally the efforts concentrated on statistical optical surveys with the primary goal to derive fluxes as input data for statistical environment models. It became, however, obvious that important characteristics of the debris population could not be determined by this technique. The sparse surveys did not yield orbital elements for the debris objects, and it was very difficult to assess the total number of objects for a given region.
One essential task of the space debris research is to find and understand the sources of debris, which in turn will enable to devise efficient mitigation measures - a prerequisite for the sustainable use of outer space. In order to understand the nature and eventually the origin of small-size debris objects, observations allowing to derive orbital parameters and physical characteristics like size, shape and material are required.
This paper discusses the AIUB activities to build-up and maintain an orbit catalogue of small-size debris. AIUB uses its dedicated 0.3m robotic telescope ZimSMART-2 to constantly survey the GEO, the GTO and the MEO region. The data from this telescope is fused with observations from AIUB's 1-meter ZIMLAT telescope and ESA's 1-meter telescope in Tenerife and shared with international partners. The resulting catalogue of orbital elements enables physical characterization of the debris objects trough photometry, light curve and reflectance spectroscopy observations.

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