Estimate of Particle Densities and Collision Danger for Spacecraft Moving Through the Asteroid Belt

Abstract

The present lack of exact information about the distributions of asteroids and asteroidal meteoroids causes the largest uncertainty in the description of the interplanetary meteoroid environment between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Observed asteroids are inferred to have diameters from a few kilometers to a few hundred kilometers. The presence of these larger bodies suggests the presence of smaller, unobservable bodies. When asteroids collide, fragments are produced that eventually collide with other fragments. Because of this continuous collision process, much smaller asteroids most probably exist. Such asteroidal meteoroids, if present in sufficient number, could pose considerable danger to spacecraft.