On-Orbit Collision Hazard Analysis in Low Earth Orbit Using the PoissonProbability Distribution. Version 1.0

摘要

Any object placed in orbit around the Earth has a risk of colliding with otherorbiting objects. For mission planning and safety reasons, it is useful to understand and assess the level of collision risk by determining the probability that a given object will collide with currently orbiting objects. Several techniques can be used to calculate the collision hazard for orbiting spacecraft. This primer introduces one method for analyzing collision risks that utilizes the Poisson distribution and principles of the kinetic theory of gases. Also, this primer addresses its application to low Earth orbit (LEO) only.