National Research Council. Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Programs

National Academies Press, Washington, 2011, 180 p. — ISBN: 0309219744.Committee for the Assessment of NASADerelict satellites, equipment and other debris orbiting Earth (aka space junk) have been accumulating for many decades and could damage or even possibly destroy satellites and human spacecraft if they collide. During the past 50 years, various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) communities have contributed significantly to maturing meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) programs to their current state.Introduction and historical background
Orbital Debris and Related Efforts
Meteoroids and Related Activities
Additional MMOD EffortsOrbital debris environment: detection and monitoring
orbital debris modeling and simulation
the meteoroid environment and its effects on spacecraft
Background,
Detection and Monitoring
Modeling and SimulationRisk assessment and uncertainty
Risk Assessment
UncertaintySpacecraft protection in the mmod environment
Calculating the Probability of MMOD Impact
Calculating the Probability of Spacecraft Loss
Considerations Regarding Uncertainty in BUMPERMitigation of orbital debris
hazards posed by reentry of orbital debris
conjunction assessment risk analysis and launch collision avoidance cara/ca
Launch Collision AvoidanceSpacecraft anomalies
issues external to NASA
Interagency Cooperation
International Cooperation
International Cooperation and Cooperation with the Commercial Space IndustryManagement and organizational issues
An Expanding Responsibility
Outreach and Peer Review
Lack of Depth in Staffing
Strategic PlanPreparing for the future
The Challenge of Long-Lived Problems
The Financial Impact of Orbital DebrisCompiled list of findings and recommendations
Introduction and Historical Background
Orbital Debris Environment: Detection and Monitoring
Orbital Debris Modeling and Simulation
The Meteoroid Environment and Its Effects on Spacecraft
Risk Assessment and Uncertainty
Spacecraft Protection in the MMOD Environment
Mitigation of Orbital Debris
Hazards Posed by Reentry of Orbital Debris
Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis and Launch Collision Avoidance
Spacecraft Anomalies
Issues External to NASA
Management and Organizational Issues
Preparing for the Future