Contribution of secondary ejecta to the debris population Original Research Article

When a micro-debris or a micrometeoroid impacts a spacecraft surface, secondary particles, called ejecta, are produced. These ejecta can contribute to a modification of the debris environment: either locally by the occurrence of secondary impacts on the components of complex and large space structures, or at great distances by the formation of a population of small orbital debris. This paper describes the ejecta production mechanism, and shows their orbital evolution. Then, the distribution of ejecta in low earth orbits is given. Some results are presented describing the number of ejecta as a function of size and altitude.