(Archive) PFDMLEO

Space Debris - a dangerous reality

The increase in space debris, especially in low earth orbit, poses a serious risk to spaceflight. Satellite collisions pose the threat of cascading fragment dispersal: the Kessler Syndrome. In this thesis, the timely containment of debris after a satellite collision was investigated. For this purpose, a modular satellite cluster equipped with sophisticated Whipple shields was designed. These special shields are already used in spaceflight to protect space stations from minor impacts.
The satellite cluster is partially perforated by the conjunction with the fragments, so that the debris is captured between the multiple layers of the shield and therefore removed from orbit. This thesis is thus not only a conceptual exploration of space debris, but also serves to give a visual presence to theoretical research in the field of spaceflight.