Enhancing the Protection of Shielded Thermal Protection Systems in Sample Return Spacecraft Against MMOD Impact

Abstract

Sample return missions seek to collect samples from planets, moons, asteroids, and other planetary bodies and return them to earth for in-depth analysis. Backward planetary protection requirements are often in place for such missions to prevent the introduction of any extra-terrestrial material into the Earth's biosphere, which could occur if a meteoroid or space debris particle were to damage a critical part of the returning spacecraft. The ability of a shielding system used to mitigate this damage risk is typically characterized by a ballistic limit equation (BLE), which predicts whether or not a protected system or structural element will sustain a critical failure due to a high-speed impact. In this paper, we develop a particle-impact-based BLE for the thermal protection system (TPS) of a sample return spacecraft that is protected by a multi-shock shield. The predictions of the BLE we develop for TPS failure are shown to be consistent with the predictions of hydrocode simulations.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Comments

NASA Engineering and Safety Center, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

ALE3D; Ballistic limit equation; MMOD; Multi-shock shield; Sample return mission; SPHC; TPS

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0094-5765

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Dec 2025

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