The Greening of Orbital Debris (Nicholas Johnson)
The near-Earth space environment is becoming increasingly cluttered with hazardous man-made debris. The collision between an operational Iridium spacecraft and a derelict Russian spacecraft in February 2009, which in turn generated hundreds of thousands of additional hazardous debris, highlighted the need for effective orbital debris mitigation measures. For thirty years the NASA orbital debris program has led both national and international efforts to characterize the threat posed by orbital debris and to develop engineering solutions and policies to curtail its growth. Ultimately, remediation of the environment will likely be needed.
As NASA chief scientist for Orbital Debris at Johnson Space Center since 1997, Nicholas L. Johnson serves as the agency authority in the field of orbital debris, including all aspects of environment definition, present and future, and the operational and design implications of the environment to both manned and robotic space vehicles operating in Earth orbit. He is responsible for conceiving and conducting research to define the orbital debris environment, for determining operational techniques for spacecraft to protect themselves from the environment, and for recommending techniques to minimize the growth in the future orbital debris environment.
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Houston, we had a problem…and we learned from it!Space is hard. Inevitably, problems may occur. We can all learn valuable lessons from past events to ensure the safety and success of current and future programs. Enjoy reading and learning from a selection of such events. This booklet produced by the Johnson Space Center Knowledge Management Office contains numerous lesson learned from NASA missions and projects.
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Apollo 1-Challenger-ColumbiaEvery year as we get back in the saddle, our Remembrance Day signals us to think back to the tragic events of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia as well as the context surrounding them. We’re accountable for learning from not just what went wrong, but how we recovered. As an example, read these rules recorded by Wayne Hale, former NASA Flight Director and Space Shuttle Program Manager. By actually applying such lessons from the past to your current work, our actions can honor our lost crews beyond silent reflection.
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Shuttle Software AnomalyCase Study–A few minutes after the Shuttle Endeavour reached orbit for STS-126 on Nov. 14, 2008, mission control noticed that the shuttle did not automatically transfer two communications processes from launch to orbit configuration. Primary communications continued to use S-band frequencies after they should have transferred to the more powerful Ku-band. The link between the shuttle and its payload — the Payload Signal Processor (PSP)–remained configured for a radio link rather than switching.
