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Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Programs (2011) / Chapter Skim
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7 Mitigation of Orbital Debris
Pages 57-59

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From page 57...
... Con sequently, it was concluded that the increasing accumulation of orbital mass in the form of intact spacecraft and upper stages would inevitably lead to collisions between these objects and become the dominant source of future debris.1 While there was uncertainty in when collisions would become the dominant source of debris, there was concern that at some point in the near future the rate of growth in low Earth orbit (LEO) would become irrevers ible.
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From page 58...
... The only study to determine what actions would result in a stable orbital debris environment concluded that the retrieval of pre-selected objects could do so, and would be significantly helped by compliance with the 25-year rule.4 A study by both NASA and ESA has identified some alternative techniques to remove objects. 5 However, the largest activity was the "International Conference on Orbital Debris Removal" in Chantilly, Virginia, on December 8-10, 2009, sponsored by NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
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From page 59...
... W Pulliam, Catcher's Mitt Final Report, Tactical Technology Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va.
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Key Terms

  • debris environment
  • future debris
  • debris removal
  • mitigation standards
  • space debris

  • debris population
  • drag augmentation
  • debris programs
  • solar sails
  • augmentation devices

  • current model
  • current mitigation
  • mitigation action
  • space research
  • crewed space

  • esa space
  • debris growth
  • potential removal
  • stable orbital
  • future leo

  • single mitigation
  • debris mitigation
  • debris populations
  • confronting space
  • enhanced mitigation

  • nasa orbital
  • aggressive mitigation
  • future orbital
  • space shuttle
  • prevent future


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