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Software Assesses Risks to Spacecraft Posed by Meteoroids and Orbital Debris

    › Benefits
    › Applications
    › Licensing and Partnering Opportunity
    › Contact Information

Innovators at NASA’s Johnson Space Center have developed software for assessing the risk to the International Space Station (ISS) from impacts of meteoroids and orbital debris (M/OD). BUMPER II is the primary spacecraft M/OD risk analysis program NASA uses to provide for safe and reliable operations of NASA spacecraft. The code quantifies the probability of penetration of shielding and the damage to spacecraft equipment as a function of the size, shape, and orientation of the spacecraft; the parameters of its orbit; and the impact damage resistance of each spacecraft. The BUMPER II software was specifically designed for the ISS and contains several dozen ballistic limit equations that are based on results from thousands of hypervelocity impact tests conducted on ISS shielding. This software may be released to U.S. persons only.


Benefits
  • Proven: Offers a risk reduction strategy based on over 7,000 hypervelocity tests that have resulted in a decrease in risk for modules on the ISS by a factor of 4, leading to an overall cost savings/cost avoidance of $50 million
  • Reduces Risk: Assesses probability of failure from meteoroid/orbital debris impact and verifies compliance with protection requirements
  • Cost-effective: Reduces costs associated with eliminating unnecessary shielding mass

Applications
  • M/OD risk assessment analysis for Other Government Agency (OGA) or commercial spacecraft

Licensing and Partnering Opportunity

This technology is being made available through JSC’s Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office, which seeks to transfer technology into and out of NASA to benefit the space program and U.S. industry. NASA invites companies to consider licensing this technology for commercial applications.


Contact Information

If you would like more information about this technology or about NASA’s technology transfer program, please contact:

Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office
NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Phone: 281-483-3809
E-mail: jsc-techtran@mail.nasa.gov
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