Orbital Debris- The Past,

Present, and Future

Madison Chauvin
Independent Study Mentorship/ Spring 2018
Mrs. Click
Disclaimer:

Some of the information used in my presentation comes for outside

sources. Additionally, all images used throughout my PowerPoint will
be credited in my bibliography.
What is ISM?

• The Independent Study Mentorship class is a course that allows students to shadow
someone in the field that they may plan on perusing. ISM gives students first-hand
experience in their interested field and gives them the opportunity to see the
realities of any job.
• ISM required an application and acceptance process.

Requirements include:
• Scheduled on-site mentorship meetings
• Weekly Activity Logs and Journal Posts
• Assignments such as a Current Event, Mentorship Artifacts, and Interviews
• Updated online portfolio documenting the semester
My Mentor

• Dr. Mark Matney

Modeling Lead
B.S. Astronomy and Physics (Texas Christian
University)
M.S. and Ph.D. Space Physics and Astronomy
(Rice University)
Previous Experience at Lockheed Martin as
well as current experience at NASA totaling 24+
years

• NASA Johnson Space Center

• Orbital Debris Modeling
My Mentorship Site

• NASA Johnson Space Center

I chose my topic and mentorship location due to my

lifelong interest in Astrophysics. The orbital debris
program at NASA contains some of the only people
containing degrees I'm directly interested to at JSC,
thus giving me a direct line of sight to what I hope
my future career holds.
Key Points/Intended Research

• Definition of Orbital Debris

• Past Prolific Contributors to Orbital Debris
• Visual Representations of Growing Population
• Visual Demonstrating the Distribution of Debris
• The Current State of our Debris Cloud
• Results of Orbital Debris
• Future Limitation Tactics
• Class Projects and Final Product
• Conclusion
What is Orbital Debris?

"any man-made object in orbit about the Earth which no

longer serves a useful function" (NASA)

• This includes objects such as abandoned launch vehicle

stages, fragmentation and mission-related debris, and
nonfunctional spacecrafts.
• Does not include natural debris such as meteoroids,
since they are in heliocentric orbit. (Thus dubbed mere
space debris)
The Past

• Since 1957, (Sputnik) the beginning of the orbital debris situation

began, only heavily increasing as time went on.
• More satellites and other launched equipment resulted in a drastic
boom of orbital debris.
The Past

This video demonstrates how debris, once

breaking up via exploding (intentionally or
unintentionally), distributes itself in Earth's orbit.

This specific model is a Russian Rocket Stage.

The Past: Prolific Contributors

• Fengyun-1C Explosion of 2007:

• This was an antisatellite missile test from a Chinese weather satellite.
• Estimated 150,000 debris created
• Only 2,000 trackable particles were approximated
• Dubbed the “Largest recorded creation of space debris in history”
• The Iridum 33 and Cosmos 2251 collision of 2009:
• Created over 200,000 pieces of 1 cm debris (not trackable)
• Created approximately 3,273 objects ≥10 cm (trackable, and cataloged)
• The first time a large, active satellite was accidentally impacted by
another satellite.
The Past
The Past
Indium 33 and Cosmos
2251

Fengyun-1C
The Past
The Past

This video demonstrates the Iridium-33 and

Cosmos 2251 collision of 2009.
The Past

This video demonstrates the distribution of debris

resulting from the Iridium-33 and Cosmos 2251
collision.
The Present

This video demonstrates the

overall abundance of categorized
objects within Earth’s
geosynchronous orbit, as well as
cloud, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
The Present

• The U.S. Space Surveillance Network works

alongside NASA
• Provides "operational data"
• Also provides notice of new launches and breakup
events.
• There are more than half a billion orbital debris
objects orbiting Earth.
• Only ~1,000 of all debris in orbit are operational
spacecraft.
• The approximate amount of debris smaller than one
centimeter is unknown- though is estimated to exceed
the tens of millions.
The Present: Prolific Contributors
Damage Caused by Orbital Debris
The Future

• No visible sign of
significant reduction in
debris population
• All debris must follow
strict U.S. Space Policy:
• Must limit LEO lifetime to a
maximum of 25 years
• Must adhere to a design
that ensures minimum
casualties and collisions.
Current Event:

My Current Event assignment goes over

the (rather humorous) solution of the
Chinese Air Force Engineering University,
that suggests using things such as lasers to
take care of the endless amount of orbital
debris in orbit.
Product:

My product will be a visual guide explaining the various sizes of

orbital debris.
Online Portfolio

mchauvinportfolio.weebly.com
Conclusion

Thank you to my mentor, Dr. Mark Matney, and Evaluators Mr. Jones
and Mr. Mayberry.

I’ve already learned so much from my mentorship, despite having so

little hours being there. So far, I’ve had the opportunity to meet
with people working in the field of my dream, and have been
fortunate enough to receive an abundance of support from them.
It’s been incredible to meet the people living and working my
dream.
Works Cited:

Brandon Specktor, Live Science Senior Writer. “Trash-Blasting Lasers Could Help Clean Up Space Junk, China Says.” Space.com,

www.space.com/39412-china-satellite-lasers-clean-space-debris.html.

Dunbar, Brian. “Frequently Asked Questions: Orbital Debris.” NASA, NASA, www.nasa.gov/news/debris_faq.html.

Stromberg, Joseph. “Space Garbage: The Dark Cloud Above.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 26 Jan. 2012,

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/space-garbage-the-dark-cloud-above-80279582/.

“The Collision of Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 | The Aerospace Corporation.” Aerospace, www.aerospace.org/crosslinkmag/fall-2015/the-collision-of-
iridium-33-and-cosmos-2251/.
• Much of my information/graphs came from my mentor’s presentations and modeling.
Works Cited (Images):

Cowing, Keith. “White Paper on NASA Johnson Space Center Shutdown Impacts.” SpaceRef, spaceref.com/congress/white-paper-on-nasa-johnson-

space-center-shutdown-impacts.html.

NASA, NASA, www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/reentry/recovered.html.

https://tech2.org/egypt/why-do-not-we-see-satellites-orbital-debris-and-others-in-the-captured-images-of-earth-from-outer-space/

“42 U.S. Code § 18441 - National and International Orbital Debris Mitigation.” LII / Legal Information Institute,

www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/18441

Shoots, Debi, editor. “Orbital Debris Quarterly News.” Orbital Debris Program Office, vol. 16, no. 3, July 2012, p. 2.

“The Persistent Problem of Orbital Debris.” Radio Frequency Interference | Secure World, swfound.org/space-sustainability-101/the-persistent-

problem-of-orbital-debris/.