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Orbital Debris A Technical Assessment (1995) / Chapter Skim
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GLOSSARY
Pages 197-202

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From page 197...
... These orbital elements can be used to predict an object's future position, but must be updated periodically to account for orbital perturbations. Space object catalogs have been compiled and are maintained by different national governments and agencies.
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From page 198...
... GEOSYNCHRONOUS EARTH ORBIT (GEO) see entry under "Orbital Regions." HYDROCODE numerical computer capability to simulate hypervelocity impacts and the structural deformation, changes of state, fragmentation, etc., that result from such impacts.
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From page 199...
... ORBITAL DEBRIS space objects in Earth orbit that are not functional spacecraft. Spent rocket bodies, mission-related objects, fragments from breakups and deterioration, nonfunctional spacecraft, and aluminum particles from solid rocket exhaust are all considered debris.
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From page 200...
... left in Earth orbit at the end of a spacecraft delivery sequence. Typical space missions leave only one rocket body in Earth orbit, but some launches leave as many as three separate rocket bodies in different orbits.
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From page 201...
... SPACE OBJECT any object in space. The term space object includes the natural meteoroid environment, as well as orbiting objects such as individual spacecraft, rocket bodies, fragmentation debris, and missionrelated objects.
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Key Terms

  • earth orbit
  • space objects
  • rocket bodies
  • highly elliptical
  • geosynchronous earth

  • northern hemisphere
  • atmospheric density
  • elliptical orbit
  • apogee kick
  • mean altitude

  • molniya orbits
  • low earth
  • object includes
  • original impact
  • object disassociates

  • simulate hypervelocity
  • launches leave
  • satellites follow
  • largest single
  • functional spacecraft

  • term space
  • energy sources
  • nearly equal
  • passivation measures
  • solar maximum

  • orbital plane
  • related objects
  • expansion increases
  • debris created
  • orbits spend


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