A proposed in situ debris measurement in GEO

Abstract In situ measurements are required to characterize the particle environment below the threshold of remote sensors. Ground-based geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) optical measurements in general have been limited to objects greater than about 15 cm. It is highly unlikely that any ground-based telescope can detect GEO debris smaller than 1 cm. Firsthand knowledge of the untrackable debris population is critical to GEO environment definition, if we are to control that environment. The current, general debris mitigation and protection measures may be applied to GEO satellites, but characterizing the GEO debris environment (flux, size distribution, orbit distribution, sources) will also allow measures tailored specifically for that environment. Two specific issues need to be addressed for any effective in situ measurements in GEO: detector type and potential contamination from interplanetary and interstellar dust. In this paper, we will discuss why the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) material makes an ideal GEO debris detector. We will also show that impacts from debris, interplanetary dust, and interstellar dust are very different in many ways (size, impact speed, flux, etc.). Debris impacts can be easily distinguished from other impacts.