Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target
Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target
Circular glass target with an impact crater in the centre. This object demonstrates the damage a micrometeoroid or other piece of space debris could cause. It was created in a simulation with a hypervelocity gun firing a projectile.In space even small specks of material can cause major damage when travelling at high speed. Micrometeoroids - small pieces of rock or metal, travelling incredibly fast - are common in space. They pose a great risk to spacecraft and satellites, especially those that are designed to operate in space for many years. Bigger pieces of space debris can have catastrophic consequences for astronauts, spacecraft or satellites, as, at such speeds they could puncture materials creating holes.
Scientists study terminal ballistics to experiment with extremely high-speed impacts. Doing this helps to see how different materials and structures cope with being struck by objects at speeds like those that could be experienced in space. This piece of thick glass was used as many spacecraft require windows. Space Shuttle Challenger's window was damaged by space debris on mission STS-7 in 1983, whilst one of the International Space Station's Cupola windows was damaged by a tiny piece of space debris no bigger than a few thousandths of a millimetre across.
All images:
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![Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target]()
Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target -
![Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target]()
Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target -
![Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target]()
Glass Hypervelocity Impact Target -
![The chip in the International Space Station Cupola window, as photographed by astronaut Tim Peake in 2016. It was likely caused by a tiny fleck of paint or metal - Credit: ESA/NASA]()
The chip in the International Space Station Cupola window, as photographed by astronaut Tim Peake in 2016. It was likely caused by a tiny fleck of paint or metal - Credit: ESA/NASA -
![Space Shuttle Challenger suffered a collision with a piece of space debris in 1983 that caused this chip in its window - Credit: NASA]()
Space Shuttle Challenger suffered a collision with a piece of space debris in 1983 that caused this chip in its window - Credit: NASA
More information
Object number
2001-64
Location
Into Space Gallery
Has this object been into space?
No
Material
Glass
Associated Organisation
University of Kent
Object Production Date
1990s
Object Production Organisation
The Open University School of Physical Sciences
Object Production Place
Kent
United Kingdom
Credit Line
On display with the kind permission of the Open University Department of Physical Sciences
On Display Status
On display
Copyright and Photos
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
