Microscopic ejecta measurements from hypervelocity impacts on aluminum and powdered regolith targets

Shohet, Gil; Estacio, Benjamin; Matthews, Isaac; Young, Sean A. Q.; Lee, Nicolas; Close, Sigrid

doi:10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2021.103840

Microscopic ejecta measurements from hypervelocity impacts on aluminum and powdered regolith targets

Journal Article · Thu Feb 11 00:00:00 EST 2021 · International Journal of Impact Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2021.103840· OSTI ID:1850431

^[1]; Estacio, Benjamin ^[2]; Matthews, Isaac ^[2]; ^[2]; Lee, Nicolas ^[2]; Close, Sigrid ^[2]

Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Meteoroids and space debris pose a two-fold threat to spacecraft due to the risk of both mechanical damage from the impact and electrical damage from the impact-generated plasma, which produces electromagnetic emissions. Analysis of impact products, however, has the potential to provide useful information about planetary rings and small solar system bodies, such as asteroids and comets. Understanding the plasma dynamics and radiation mechanism is essential to addressing the impact threat and extracting science data from impacts. Charge attachment to condensed-phase debris may lead to a dusty plasma under certain conditions, so interpreting hypervelocity impacts requires knowledge of both the nature of the plasma and of the ejecta. We address the latter with measurements of the microscopic ejecta distribution produced by light gas gun impacts on solid aluminum and powdered regolith simulant targets. We examine both the size and shape of the ejecta using thin-film witness plates and find that the size distributions of microscopic ejecta follow power laws. Observations from the powdered regolith simulant match well with disruption experiments of solid basalt, while measurements from the aluminum impacts diverge from extrapolations based on studies of macroscopic debris. Analysis of the ejecta shape shows a transition from smooth to irregularly shaped ejecta at the material grain size, and the shape of debris may provide insight on the phase of the ejected material. Finally, based on our results, we predict a significant number of secondary impacts on plasma sensors due to ejecta, even at considerable distance from the target, supporting the hypothesis that charged dust affects plasma measurements in the ejecta curtain.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Krell Institute, Ames, IA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR); USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003960

OSTI ID:: 1850431

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1787921

Journal Information:: International Journal of Impact Engineering, Journal Name: International Journal of Impact Engineering Journal Issue: C Vol. 152; ISSN 0734-743X

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Microscopic ejecta measurements from hypervelocity impacts on aluminum and powdered regolith targets

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