Supporting the development of active debris removal using weighted networks

Newland, R.J., Lewis, H.G. and Swinerd, G.G. (2009) Supporting the development of active debris removal using weighted networks. Fifth European Conference on Space Debris, Darmstadt, Germany. 29 Mar - 01 Apr 2009. 8 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)

Abstract

The choice of objects to be removed in an active debris removal (ADR) campaign needs to be based on a robust selection process. In this study, networks are constructed using data from a ‘no new launches’ simulation generated by the University of Southampton’s DAMAGE model for a 21 year projection period between 2009 and 2030. The network edges are weighted according to the collision probability between objects. The vertices are weighted according to the ‘vertex measures’ which are the product of edge weight and the object mass. Building on the techniques introduced in previous work, this paper quantifies how the removal of individual objects affects the topology of the network, using measures of strength and affinity. It is shown that by removing the objects represented by the vertices, the connectivity of the network can be reduced, and so the potential for collisions and the subsequent generation of on-orbit debris decreases

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