Dr. Kira Abercromby, Space Debris Tracking, Spacecraft Environments | Space Engineering Podcast 6

Dr. Kira Abercromby is a professor in the Aerospace Engineering department of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She previously worked at NASA Johnson doing ongoing work from her PhD where her thesis was titled: Using Reflectance Spectroscopy to Determine Material Type of Orbital Debris. In this episode we cover the following topics: Space debris environment, deorbit regulations, geostationary (GEO) vs. Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) debris, geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) rocket bodies, hypervelocity impacts, whipple shields, Space Shuttle windows impacts, spacecraft environments, solar radiation, Ultraviolet (UV) light, Earth’s magnetic field protection from solar radiation, Atomic oxygen (AO) in the upper atmosphere, AO and UV synergistic effects, micrometeoroid impacts / flux, Earth-based observations, Radar and optical telescopes, In-space observations Orbit determination methods, Lambert’s problem, 3+ vector orbit determination sngles only orbit determination, NASA orbit modeling software (EVOLVE and ORDEM96), Anti-Satellite (ASAT) tests effects on orbital debris, GPS satellite solar panel debris, spectroscopy for identification of orbital debris materials, atmospheric water interference in infrared wavelengths, ODERACS spheres calibration mission, glare effects on observations, electromagnetic spectrum regions, Apollo rocket body observations, space environment effects on materials, What it's like to do a PhD in aerospace engineering, Becoming a Cal Poly SLO Professor. OUTLINE: 0:00:00 | Introduction 0:02:26 | Kira's background (astrophysics, PhD at Boulder, NASA) 0:04:52 | The space / orbital debris problem 0:06:47 | Deorbit plans requirements 0:08:56 | Differences between LEO and GEO space debris 0:10:56 | Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) rocket bodies 0:12:08 | Hypervelocity space debris impacts 0:14:18 | Whipple shields for space debris impacts 0:16:52 | Space shuttle and ISS windows 0:19:18 | More whipple shields info 0:20:28 | Space environment (launch, atomic oxygen, solar radiation (UV), plasma, electrical charge) 0:26:20 | Earth's magnetic field radiation shielding 0:27:54 | Ultraviolet and atomic oxygen synergistic effects 0:32:48 | Micrometeoroid flux 0:34:17 | How radar telescopes / observation works 0:37:10 | Stare vs. track modes for telescopes 0:39:37 | Optical telescope observations 0:42:48 | Uncertainties of radar and optical telescope observations 0:44:25 | Optical telescope field of view, size, exposure time trades 0:47:30 | What its like to work at telescopes in Chile, Hawaii 0:54:48 | In-space observations of space debris with satellites, wavelengths 0:58:19 | Orbit determination, Lambert's problem, angles only (right ascension, declination) 1:02:18 | NASA orbit evolution modeling software 1:04:08 | Anti satellite tests (ASAT) 1:06:06 | Space debris material determination 1:08:48 | GPS satellite case study 1:10:09 | Spectroscopy introduction 1:13:13 | Water in Earth's atmosphere 1:16:45 | Glare saturation effects on optical telescopes 1:20:18 | How to determine material of space debris from spectroscopy 1:24:02 | Apollo rocket body titanium based paint 1:26:31 | Electron energy levels 1:28:00 | Spacecraft design to account for space environment 1:35:15 | Kira's PhD process 1:37:24 | Should you get a PhD in Aerospace Engineering? 1:40:08 | Why Kira became a professor at Cal Poly SLO #spaceengineeringpodcast #aerospaceengineeringpodcast #engineeringpodcast