[meteorite-list] [Fwd: Re: Will space cities get pelted ?]

From: Jensan Scientifics/ Sci-Mall <jensan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:01:36 2004
Message-ID: <3D1CC108.8738FAD2_at_pcii.net>

Hi John, Walter, Al, and all,

Discovery Mag December 2001, "The Shooting Gallery"...

"In July of 1996, the French military satellite CERISE collided with a
briefcase-sized piece of debris from the Ariane 1, a French rocket
launched 10 years earlier."

Impacting at 31,000 mph, the collision sheared off a 20-foot boom and
tumbled the satellite. It was later stabilized and continued to
function.

Also in the article is information about designing impact shielding for
spacecraft.

Best,
Dave Coleman
.....................................

almitt wrote:
>
> Hi John, Walter and all,
>
> The LDEF was deployed on the Solar Max Repair mission. I was down for that mission and
> got to watch the send off from 3.5 miles away in front of the press dome, by the large
> NASA time clock you see on NASA Select TV and across from the VAB. LDEF remained in
> space for 5.7 years and completed 32,422 Earth orbits. The extended stay increased its
> scientific and technological value toward the understanding of the space environment
> and its effects. It experienced one-half of a solar cycle, as it was deployed during a
> solar minimum and retrieved at a solar maximum.
>
> I personally haven't heard of a large meteoroid hitting a spacecraft but perhaps Ron
> Baalke will chime in on this. BTW the debris in space are called meteoroids and when a
> meteoroid enters the atmosphere of the Earth then it is a meteor and if it survives
> passage to the ground then it is called a meteorite. I use to mix them up until I did
> some reading and I see others do this also.
>
> The Hubble Space Telescope (which I was also down to the launch) was monitored for
> impactors on it just recently during the upgrade of its equipment. I think they
> counted several hundred impacts. Someway they were able to tell the difference between
> meteoroids from space and man made debris impactors. I know one time a paint chip
> struck a shuttle window and left a noticeable sized crater in the glass. Something of
> concern no matter which type of debris it might be for space inhabitants.
>
> --AL

almitt wrote:
>
> Hi John, Walter and all,
>
> The LDEF was deployed on the Solar Max Repair mission. I was down for that mission and
> got to watch the send off from 3.5 miles away in front of the press dome, by the large
> NASA time clock you see on NASA Select TV and across from the VAB. LDEF remained in
> space for 5.7 years and completed 32,422 Earth orbits. The extended stay increased its
> scientific and technological value toward the understanding of the space environment
> and its effects. It experienced one-half of a solar cycle, as it was deployed during a
> solar minimum and retrieved at a solar maximum.
>
> I personally haven't heard of a large meteoroid hitting a spacecraft but perhaps Ron
> Baalke will chime in on this. BTW the debris in space are called meteoroids and when a
> meteoroid enters the atmosphere of the Earth then it is a meteor and if it survives
> passage to the ground then it is called a meteorite. I use to mix them up until I did
> some reading and I see others do this also.
>
> The Hubble Space Telescope (which I was also down to the launch) was monitored for
> impactors on it just recently during the upgrade of its equipment. I think they
> counted several hundred impacts. Someway they were able to tell the difference between
> meteoroids from space and man made debris impactors. I know one time a paint chip
> struck a shuttle window and left a noticeable sized crater in the glass. Something of
> concern no matter which type of debris it might be for space inhabitants.
>
> --AL
>
> John Reed wrote:
>
> > Walter do you know if a meteor has ever hit a man made object in space ?
> > Thanks John
> >
>
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Received on Fri 28 Jun 2002 04:03:20 PM PDT