PINDROP – An Acoustic Particle Impact Detector

The 13 th edition of History of On-Orbit Satellite Fragmentations, JSC-62530, has recently been published. This document details the 173 known breakups and 43 anomalous events of on-orbit objects from the first known breakup in June 1961 through 31 December 2003. This edition of the document discusses low Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit spatial density, in-orbit and decayed object analysis by country of origin, and a comprehensive categorization of breakups and debris by assessed cause, year, and parent object type. Several color graphs and tables are included to illustrate information related to these topics. A significant update from the 12 th edition was the re-categorization of events due to aerodynamic effects at or near the time of reentry. Because these " aerodynamic " events had no effect on the environment past the very near term, they are listed separately from events of other environmentally impacting causes. Each fragmentation event is outlined in a two page format. The first page consists of information such as the physical characteristics and orbital parameters of the parent object prior to the breakup, breakup event epoch, altitude and location, and assessed cause. A general summary of the event can be found under the Comments heading. Reference documents on the subject breakup or on breakups of satellites of same type are listed for some events. The second page consists of a Gabbard diagram for the debris cloud (if sufficient orbit element data were available). Each anomalous event is described on one page, with basic information about the object and event. Gabbard diagrams are not included for anomalous events because of the typically low debris count. The 13 th edition is available for download in Adobe PDF format on the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office website, www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa. gov. The History of On-Orbit Satellite Fragmentations has been published regularly since 1984. ♦ In early June 2004 NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) spacecraft (International Designator 1999-035A, US Satellite Number 25791) was the source of nine debris large enough to be detected and tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The 1360-kg spacecraft was launched into a nearly circular orbit near 750 km on 24 June 1999 and continues to perform well. Early on 6 June 2004 FUSE temporarily entered a safe mode which resulted in the closure and reopening of its four main sensor doors. Analyses by SSN personnel indicate that the new debris separated from FUSE …