Modern radar techniques and the hazard of meteoroids to space platforms
Main Article Content
Abstract
Modern radar techniques, and in particular ground based radars, are a powerful tool to observe space objects (natural meteoroids and artificial space debris) on account of their all-weather and day-and-night performance. Natural meteoroids are an important component of the near-Earth space environment and represent a potential risk for all Earth-orbiting space platforms, which could significantly increase in coincidence of enhanced (outburst or storm) activity of meteoroid streams. A review of the currently active meteoroid streams suggests that a few streams have shown a quasi-periodic outburst activity in the two last centuries and may even undergo a storm activity in the next few years. The Leonids, the most intense of meteor showers, present a potentially serious damage to spacecraft in November of 1998 and 1999, after the perihelion passage of the parent body. Impact probability values of storm meteoroids on space platforms in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) were calculated using the data recorded during systematic observational campaigns carried out by the FS radar facility Bologna-Lecce in Italy. Meteoroid flux predictions and directionality, and investigation on impact parameters at very high velocities (up to 71 km/s) for penetration, charge production and plasma generation, are relevant aspects to develop strategies for safe deployment of the near Earrth-orbiting space platforms.
Article Details
How to Cite
Cevolani, G. (1998) “Modern radar techniques and the hazard of meteoroids to space platforms”, Annals of Geophysics, 41(5-6). doi: 10.4401/ag-3819.
Issue
Section
OLD
Open-Access License
No Permission Required
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia applies the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) to all works we publish.
Under the CCAL, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, so long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.
In most cases, appropriate attribution can be provided by simply citing the original article.
If the item you plan to reuse is not part of a published article (e.g., a featured issue image), then please indicate the originator of the work, and the volume, issue, and date of the journal in which the item appeared. For any reuse or redistribution of a work, you must also make clear the license terms under which the work was published.
This broad license was developed to facilitate open access to, and free use of, original works of all types. Applying this standard license to your own work will ensure your right to make your work freely and openly available. For queries about the license, please contact ann.geophys@ingv.it.