Kearsley, A. T., Webb, R. P., Grime, G. W., Wozniakiewicz, P. J., Price, M. C., Burchell, M. J., Salge, T., Spratt, J. (2024) Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 382 (2273). Article Number 20230194. ISSN 1364-503X. E-ISSN 1471-2962. (doi:10.1098/rsta.2023.0194) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:106041)
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2023.0194 |
Abstract
Exposure of the Hubble Space Telescope to space in low Earth orbit resulted in numerous hypervelocity impacts by cosmic dust (micrometeoroids) and anthropogenic particles (orbital debris) on the solar arrays and the radiator shield of the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, both subsequently returned to Earth. Solar cells preserve residues from smaller cosmic dust (and orbital debris) but give less reliable information from larger particles. Here, we present images and analyses from electron, ion and X-ray fluorescence microscopes for larger impact features (millimetre- to centimetre-scale) on the radiator shield. Validated by laboratory experiments, these allow interpretation of composition, probable origin and likely dimensions of the larger impactors. The majority (~90%) of impacts by grains greater than 50 μm in size were made by micrometeoroids, dominated by magnesium- and iron-rich silicates and iron sulfides, metallic iron-nickel and chromium-rich spinel similar to that in ordinary chondrite meteorites of asteroid origin. Our re-evaluation of the largest impact features shows substantially fewer large orbital debris impacts than reported by earlier authors. Mismatch to the NASA ORDEM and ESA MASTER models of particle populations in orbit may be partly due to model overestimation of orbital debris flux and underestimation of larger micrometeoroid numbers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dust in the Solar System and beyond’.
Item Type: | Article |
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DOI/Identification number: | 10.1098/rsta.2023.0194 |
Additional information: | For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. |
Uncontrolled keywords: | Earth, low, micrometeoroid, orbit, impact, hypervelocity |
Subjects: | Q Science |
Divisions: | Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy |
Funders: |
Science and Technology Facilities Council (https://ror.org/057g20z61)
Agence Spatiale Européenne (https://ror.org/03wd9za21) |
SWORD Depositor: | JISC Publications Router |
Depositing User: | JISC Publications Router |
Date Deposited: | 22 May 2024 13:25 UTC |
Last Modified: | 31 Jul 2024 15:11 UTC |
Resource URI: | https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/106041 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
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