A visible-light image of the Andromeda Galaxy, taken by Torben Hansen.
CC Torben Hansen

Solid Aluminium Hypervelocity Impact Target

Solid Aluminium Hypervelocity Impact Target

Circular aluminium target showing an impact crater from a projectile fired by a hypervelocity gun. Shows how even small specks can cause a lot of damage when they impact with something at high speed. The impact crater is just off-centre and was made by a projectile travelling at 5.5 kilometres a second.

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 solid aluminium is an example of this scientific study.

More information

Object number

2001-66

Location

Into Space Gallery

Has this object been into space?

No

Dimension - Dimension, Value, Measurement unit

Depth: 7cm
Height: 10cm
Width: 10cm

Material

Aluminium

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

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.