Electromagnetic pulses generated by meteoroid impacts on spacecraft

Abstract

Meteoroid impacts on spacecraft are known to cause mechanical damage, but their electrical effect on spacecraft systems are not well characterized. Several reported spacecraft anomalies are suggestive of an electrical failure associated with meteoroid impact. We present a theory to explain plasma production and subsequent electric fields occurring when a meteoroid strikes a spacecraft, ionizing itself and part of the spacecraft. This plasma, with a charge separation commensurate with different specie mobilities, can produce a strong electromagnetic pulse (EMP) at broad frequency spectra, potentially causing catastrophic damage if the impact is relatively near an area with low shielding or an open umbilical. Anomalies such as gyrostability loss can be caused by an EMP without any detectable momentum transfer due to small (<1 μg) particle mass. Subsequent plasma oscillations can also emit significant power and may be responsible for many reported satellite anomalies. The presented theory discusses both a dust-free plasma expansion with coherent electron oscillation and a dusty plasma expansion with macroscopic charge separation. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.