Abstract
Electrodynamic tethers are a tool to deorbit dead satellites in LEO. These satellites can be shattered by an impact with space debris thereby increasing the amount of space debris and eventually triggering the Kessler cascade. In the LEO environment the tethers can be rendered inoperative by bombardment by space debris or micrometeoroids.
In this report we study the survival probability of a tape-tether against multiple impacts with debris. In particular a FORTRAN program which computes the survival probability of a 5 km long, 2 cm wide and 0.05 mm thick tether orbiting at 800 km altitude during 3 months is presented. The program is based on the assumption that if 11% of the area of a 2 cm x 2 cm subdivision of the tether is destroyed the tether becomes inoperative. The survival probability is found to be 97.9%. Many other considerations such as the flux data or the calculations involved in the program are also explained. In particular the extension of this method to compute the probability of boring shielding by multiple impacts is discussed.
