Primary Research of Small Space Debris Impact Inducing Discharge

When considering the risk of small space debris for spacecraft, the impact inducing discharge is of main concern. However, research on this effect is rare, especially for debris with diameters between 10 μm and 1 mm. Using a plasma drag particles accelerator, the primary research of small space debris impact inducing discharge experiments was carried out. Those experiments indicate that particles with diameters ~ 200 μm and velocity faster than 1.1 km/s can induce discharge. In addition, because the impact can create a cloud with plasma, gas and solid have an effect on discharging, and more research needs to be carried out to make clear the discharging process and the effect of different kinds of matter in the impacting cloud.