Long duration exposure facility (LDEF) interplanetary dust experiment (IDE) impact detector results

The Interplanetary Dust Experiment provided high time resolution detection of microparticle impacts on the Long Duration Exposure Facility satellite. Particles, in the diameter range of 0.2 microns to several hundred microns, were detected impacting on six orthogonal surfaces of the gravity-gradient stabilized LDEF spacecraft. The 11 1/2 month tape-recorded data set represents the most extensive record gathered of the number, orbital locations, and incidence direction for microparticle impacts on low Earth orbit. Among the results to be discussed is the discovery of orbital debris rings and clouds. In some cases, impacts occurred in a localized region of the orbit for dozens or even hundreds of orbits in Multiple Orbit Event Sequences (MOES). In addition, more than a dozen intense and short-lived `spikes' were seen in which impact fluxes exceeded the background by several orders of magnitude. An analysis is given of the orbital parameters and of possible progenitor events for a selection of MOES.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.