Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999adspr..23...23m&link_type=abstract
Advances in Space Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, p. 23-32.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
1
Scientific paper
Today more than 8,700 objects larger than 10 cm are on Earth orbits. Most of them are frequently measured and cataloged, and only about 6% are operational satellites. The number of objects larger than 1 cm is between 70,000 and 200,000. A 1 cm fragment can damage and a 10 cm sized object can destroy a satellite. Despite the fact that in 1996 an operational satellite was hit by a cataloged debris object and that in 1997 an ESA satellite has carried out a collision avoidance manoeuvre, experts agree that today space debris pose only a small threat to operational satellites or to constellations of communication systems like Iridium or Globalstar. Experts disagree, however, how severe the space debris situation might be in future years, because this depends on assumptions with respect to future space activities, generation of debris, and effectiveness of adopted mitigation measures. This problem can be analysed by simulations using an appropriate space debris environmental model. But such models have to be validated with measurement data. Within the bistatic coordinated beam-park experiment COBEAM-1/96, involving FGAN's Tracking and Imaging Radar system and the 100-m telescope of the Max-Planck-Institute of Radio Astronomy as secondary, polarimetric receiver, a 24 hour snapshot was taken of the existing space debris population in a predefined space volume. Cataloged objects and unknown space debris as well as two subpopulations generated from leaking RORSAT reactor cores and from a Pegasus upper stage explosion were detected.
Jehn Rüdiger
Leushacke L.
Mehrholz Dieter
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