Estimation of the Force and Location of an Impact Exerted on a Spacecraft

Abstract

Space debris collision is one of the most serious problem in space systems operations, and, in particular, sufficient warning is necessary for making a decision as to whether a repair will be needed to continue the mission. For this purpose, this paper presents a procedure based on an inverse analysis to estimate the force and location of an impact exerted on a spacecraft using the arrival time differences between acceleration waveforms measured at more than three places on a structure. Simulation results are shown based on the analytical solutions of the structure vibration model with acceleration data corrupted by white noise.