Orbital Debris - NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Studies

Atmospheric Reentry RequirementsM i s s i o n D e s i g n L a b o r a t o r y• The risk to human casualty on ground from surviving componentsdepends on:• The total Debris Casualty Area (DCA) of surviving components.• Average population density at the corresponding orbital inclination onthe predicted reentry date if left uncontrolled (“Population density” forthe purpose of this study).• In base of the above, the risk to human life is calculated. NASA andinternational agreements limit the risk to 1:10,000.* DCA= Maximum cross-sectional area of surviving part plus a factor to account for the cross-sectional area ofa standing person.14 – 18 May, 2012PACE 2012Do not distribute this information without permissionfrom Betsy Edwards/NASA-HQ (betsy.edwards@nasa.gov)Orbital Debris, p3Final Version