Meteoroid and Space Debris Risk Assessment for Satellites Orbiting the Earth/Moon

Interplanetary meteoroids and space debris can impact satellites orbiting the Earth or spacecraft traveling to the Moon.Targeting China Space Station(CSS),7 satellites selected from the constellation of Beidou Navigation Satellite System Phase III(BDS-3),and 3 spacecraft orbiting the Moon,we have adopted in the paper the Meteoroid Engineering Model 3,Divine-Staubach meteoroid environment model,and Jenniskens-McBride meteoroid steam model to analyze the meteoroid environment with the mass range of 10–6~10 g.Orbital Debris Engineering Model 3.1 space debris model is used to analyze the orbital debris environment faced by these satellites.The flux of space debris with a size larger than 100μm is compared with that of the meteoroids.The results show that the space debris flux encountered by China Space Station is much higher than that of the meteoroids with sizes in the above range.And quite the opposite,the meteoroids flux impacting the 7 satellites from the BDS-3 is higher.Upon adopting the double-layer Whipple protection measure,the catastrophic collision flux of these satellites encountering meteoroids is about 10–6 times of that without protection,or even less,implying that the Whipple protection effectively guarantees the safety of the satellites in orbit.Besides,it is also found that the flux of the high-density meteoroid population encountered by each satellite is greater than that of the low-density population,whereas the impact velocity is lower for each satellite.These results can aid the orbit selection and the protection design for satellites and spacecraft.

Lunar cratering asymmetries with high lunar orbital obliquity and inclination of the Moon

Accurate estimation of cratering asymmetry on the Moon is crucial for understanding Moon evolution history.Early studies of cratering asymmetry have omitted the contributions of high lunar obliquity and inclination.Here,we include lunar obliquity and inclination as new controlling variables to derive the cratering rate spatial variation as a function of longitude and latitude.With examining the influence of lunar obliquity and inclination on the asteroids population encountered by the Moon,we then have derived general formulas of the cratering rate spatial variation based on the crater scaling law.Our formulas with addition of lunar obliquity and inclination can reproduce the lunar cratering rate asymmetry at the current Earth-Moon distance and predict the apex/ant-apex ratio and the pole/equator ratio of this lunar cratering rate to be 1.36 and 0.87,respectively.The apex/ant-apex ratio is decreasing as the obliquity and inclination increasing.Combining with the evolution of lunar obliquity and inclination,our model shows that the apex/ant-apex ratio does not monotonically decrease with Earth-Moon distance and hence the influences of obliquity and inclination are not negligible on evolution of apex/ant-apex ratio.This model is generalizable to other planets and moons,especially for different spin-orbit resonances.

Contribution of the Earth's gravitational potential to variations in orbital motion of short-period comets

We present simulation results on evolution development of orbital motion of short-period comets with the revolution period not exceeding 6-7 years, namely comets 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, 26P/Grigg- Skjellerup and 7P/Pons-Winnecke. The calculations cover the range from the date of the object＇s discovery to 2100. Variations in the objects＇ orbital elements under the action of gravity disturbances, taking Earth＇s gravitational potential into account when the small body approaches, are analyzed. Corrected dates of peri- helion passages can be used for scheduling observations.

Investigation into debris cloud characterizations for oblique hypervelocity impact of projectiles on bumper

All long-duration spacecraft in low-earth-orbit are subject to high velocity impacts by meteoroids and space debris. Such impacts are expected to occur at non-normal incidence angles and can cause severe damage to the spacecraft and its external flight-critical systems and possibly lead to catastrophic failure of the spacecraft. In order to ensure crew safety and proper function of internal and external spacecraft systems, the characteristics of a debris cloud generated by such impacts must be known. An analytical model is therefore developed for the characterization of the penetration and ricochet debris clouds created by the hypervelocity impact of an aluminum spherical projectile on an aluminum plate. This model employs normal and oblique shock wave theory to characterize the penetration and ricochet processes. The prediction results of center-of-mass trajectory and leading velocity of penetration and ricochet debris clouds are obtained and compared with numerical and experimental results in figures.

An Alternative Explanation for a Screw-like Meteoric Train Photographed by Double-Station Observations

Two-station observation of meteors, especially a meteor trains, provides an effective approach to the measurement of the physical parameters. We have collected four special groups of photographs of meteoric trains taken at two stations during Leonids 2001. One representative group has been measured and analyzed in detail. An analysis has been reported in our first paper. In this paper, an alternative explanation for the screw-like meteoric train is suggested based on some physical calculations. The results reveal that this train has a screw-like structure and, apparently, spoke beams. The mother meteor of this train may be negatively charged and moves forward along a left-hand screw trajectory under the effect of the geomagnetic field. The spoke beams might be the visual effect of the long time exposure of many particles released from the disintegrated meteoroid.

The Exolife： Gas Dust Streams and Seeds

The hypothesis that bacteria and protozoa microorganisms are able to travel from one planet to another and become of exolife was not taken seriously by the scientific community for a long time. However at the end of the 20th century the situation changed dramatically. Firstly, in 1990, meteorites consisting of Martian rocks were found. Secondly, it became clear that many microorganisms especially bacteria spores have an uncanny ability to endure the rugged environment of the outer space for a long time and then re-activate in a more favorable environment. If we compare these findings, the idea of interplanetary transmigration of the simplest forms of life on meteoroids ceases to look so illusory. The final dot in this issue was made by the works of academician Rozanov, and later Hoover （Professor Richard B. Hoover） through the discovery of fossilized microbes inside of a meteorite massif, that is to say, seeds of life. However, to tie only the simplest forms of life to meteorites or comets is to introduce strong constraints on the likelihood of delivery of seeds （spores of life） to Earth for many obvious reasons. Besides, exobiology does not negate the problem of origin of life, and transfers it into the era of the young universe. Therefore, it is necessary to consider in detail the essence of seeds of life or cosmic particles of dust and gas-dust streams as their carriers, their penetration path to Earth and forms of their existence.

A preliminary analysis of the Shangri-La Bolide on 2017 Oct 4

At 12:07 UT(8:07 pm China Standard Time)on 2017 Oct 4,a bright bolide was widely observed in the Shangri-La region of the Province of Yunnan,China(Figure 1).The event was well observed by the general public as it took place on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival,which is associated with moon gazing.Sonic booms and ground shaking were reported in an area of about a thousand square kilometers northwest of Shangri-La City.Data from U.S.government sensors suggests that the impact energy of the event was approximately 0.54 kt TNT equivalent,with the terminus of the bolide positioned at 28.1°N,99.4°E.This is the largest observed bolide event over land since the bolide event that took place in Mauritania on 2016 Jun 27(1.2 kt).

Corrugation Stuffed Shield for Spacecraft and Its Performance

A corrugation stuffed shield system protecting spacecrafts against meteoroid and orbital debris （M/ OD） is presented. The semi-empirical ballistic limit equations （BLEs）defining the protection capability of the shield system are given, and the shielding performance is also discussed. The corrugation stuffed shield （CKS） is more effective than stuffed Whipple shield for M/OD protection, and its shielding performance will be improved significantly as increasing the impact angle. Orbital debris up to 1 cm in diameter can be shielded effectively as increasing the impact angle to 25° at the corrugated angle of 30°. The results are significant to spacecraft design.

Dust in the Jupiter system outside the rings

Jupiter is one of the major targets for planetary exploration,and dust in the Jovian system is of great interest to researchers in the field of planetary science.In this paper,we review the five dust populations outside the ring system:grains in the region of the Galilean moons,potential dust from plumes on Europa,Jovian stream particles,particles in the outer region of the Jovian system ejected from the irregular satellites,and dust in the region of the Trojan asteroids.The physical environment for the dust dynamics is described,including the gravity,the magnetic field and the plasma environment.For each population,the dust sources are described,and the relevant perturbation forces are discussed.Observations and results from modeling are reviewed,and the distributions of the individual dust populations are shown.The understanding of the Jovian dust environment allows to assess the dust hazard to spacecraft,and to characterize the material exchange between the Jovian moons,their surface properties and distribution of non-icy constituents.

Size,morphology,and composition of lunar samples returned by Chang'E-5 mission

This study focuses on the physical and chemical properties of surficial lunar regolith(LR)samples returned from the Moon by the Chang’E-5(CE-5)mission.Insights regarding the effect of a new sampling geological site on the surficial lunar sample CE5 C0400 were illustrated using nondestructive techniques such as laser diffractometry coupled with image analysis,X-ray computed tomography,and field emission scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy,and Xray diffraction combined with Rietveld refinement.From the characterization analyses,the CE-5 sampling site in the northeastern Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon yields a unique collection of relatively regular-shaped and fine basalt-dominated particles.The median grain size D_(50) is(55.24±0.96)μm,falling within the relatively low end of the range of the Apollo lunar returned samples.The coefficient of uniformity C_(u)of 15.1 and the coefficient of curvature C_(c)of 1.7 could classify CE5 C0400 to be well-graded.The minerals in CE5 C0400 comprise approximately 44.5%pyroxene,30.4%plagioclase,3.6%olivine,and6.0%ilmenite.There is a relatively low content of approximately 15.5%glass phase in the CE-5 lunar sample.From the results,we deduce that the CE-5 LR structure could have mainly resulted from micrometeoroid impacts to achieve such a high level of maturity.

Preliminary survivability analysis of manned spacecraft following orbital debris penetration

Meteoroid and orbital debris(M/OD) may cause severe damages or even catastrophic failures for long-term manned spacecrafts in orbit due to the hypervelocity impact(HVI) destruction.It is essential to quantitatively assess the M/OD risk of manned spacecraft.In this paper,the catastrophic failure as-sessment function is successfully integrated into the Meteoroid & Orbital Debris Assessment and Op-timization System Tools(MODAOST),which is the M/OD risk assessment system developed by China Academy of Space Technology.The survivability assessment for the US Lab by MODAOST was con-sistent with that of the Manned Spacecraft Crew Survivability computer code(MSCSurv).Meanwhile,the simulation process showed that this function was more effective than MSCSurv for the application of the standard methodology of M/OD risk assessment instead of the Monte Carlo model.This function expands the ability of MODAOST in predicting the survivability of the typical catastrophic failure modes such as crew hypoxia and the critical cracking.