Demisability and survivability sensitivity to design-for-demise techniques

TL;DR

This paper develops models to evaluate how design-for-demise techniques affect both the demisability and survivability of spacecraft components, highlighting their competing influences and providing tools for optimized design decisions.

Contribution

It introduces two models and indices to assess the impact of design-for-demise solutions on demisability and survivability, enabling independent and combined analysis.

Findings

Design parameters can simultaneously influence demisability and survivability.

Maps are created to visualize the effects of design choices on both indices.

Design-for-demise solutions can improve one aspect while degrading the other.

Abstract

The paper is concerned with examining the effects that design-for-demise solutions can have not only on the demisability of components, but also on their survivability that is their capability to withstand impacts from space debris. First two models are introduced. A demisability model to predict the behaviour of spacecraft components during the atmospheric re-entry and a survivability model to assess the vulnerability of spacecraft structures against space debris impacts. Two indices that evaluate the level of demisability and survivability are also proposed. The two models are then used to study the sensitivity of the demisability and of the survivability indices as a function of typical design-for-demise options. The demisability and the survivability can in fact be influenced by the same design parameters in a competing fashion that is while the demisability is improved, the survivability is worsened and vice versa. The analysis shows how the design-for-demise solutions influence the demisability and the survivability independently. In addition, the effect that a solution has simultaneously on the two criteria is assessed. Results shows which, among the design-for-demise parameters mostly influence the demisability and the survivability. For such design parameters maps are presented, describing their influence on the demisability and survivability indices. These maps represent a useful tool to quickly assess the level of demisability and survivability that can be expected from a component, when specific design parameters are changed.