DebrisLV Hypervelocity Impact Post-Shot Physical Results Summary

The DebrisLV ( Launch Vehicle ) target was a value-added, companion target to the full-scale satellite target (i.e., DebriSat) in the joint NASA/SMC-funded DebriSat Hypervelocity Impact Experiment. DebrisLV was conceived and built at The Aerospace Corporation in the Remote Sensing Department of the Space Sciences Applications Laboratory, Laboratory Operations, Engineering and Technology Group. DebrisLV was designed to yield new information on the physics and mechanics of hypervelocity breakup. DebrisLV was designed in close collaboration with NASA and the Hypervelocity Impact expert-experimentalists at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold AFB in order to represent the full-scale hypervelocity impact behavior of the current population of derelict launch vehicle upper stages in orbit. Although substantial forensic analysis remains to be done, the DebrisLV test has been extraordinarily fruitful in yielding new understanding of hypervelocity impacts. The original document contains color images.