Abstract
Based on results of numerical modeling, this paper shows for the first time the possibility of a long-term orbital existence of technogenic aluminum-oxide particles separating from the surface of an active geostationary satellite or a “debris” object “buried” in the vicinity of a geostationary orbit. It is shown that, under the conditions of low solar and geomagnetic activity, particles with radii exceeding a threshold value close to 1.1 μm have long orbital times of existence (more than 1 month). The times of orbital existence of technogenic particles with radii greater than the indicated threshold value virtually do not depend on the initial position of an injection point in a geostationary orbit and grow rapidly with increasing radius of a technogenic particle. So, the time of orbital existence of a particle with a radius of 3 μm is equal to 130 days, while for a particle with radius of 3.52 μm, this time is more than 2 years (!). The results of numerical experiments have shown that, under conditions of low solar and geomagnetic activity, submicron technogenic particles with radii less than 0.1 μm can also have long orbital existence times. The analysis of calculated data has shown that the long-lived particles with radii in the range from 0.01 to 0.1 μm have moved in the so-called “Keplerian” mode of motion. In addition, the possibility of long-term (more than 2 years) orbital existence of ultrasmall technogenic particles with radii less than 0.01 μm injected in a geostationary orbit was demonstrated. The analysis has shown that, in this case, the technogenic particle has moved in the “so-called magnetic–gravitational capture mode.”
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Klinkrad, H., Wegener, P., Wiedemann, C., et al., Modeling of the current space debris environment, Space Debris, Klinkrad, H., Ed., Berlin: Springer, 2006, pp. 59–114.
Kolesnikov, E.K. and Chernov, S.V., On the lifetime of microparticles in low circular Earth orbits, Cosmic Res., 1997, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 206–207.
Kolesnikov, E.K., Chernov, S.V., and Yakovlev, A.B., On the lifetime of microparticles in geostationary orbit, Cosmic Res., 1999, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 422–424.
Kolesnikov, E.K. and Chernov, S.V., On the sizes of long-lived particles of technogenic astrosol in the upper atmosphere and near space, Izbrannye trudy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii po mekhanike “Shestye Polyakhovskie chteniya” (Selected Works of the International Scientific Conference on Mechanics “Sixth Polyakhov Readings”), St. Petersburg, 2012, pp. 116–119.
Horanyi, M., Houpis, H.L.F., and Mendis, D.A., Charged dust in the Earth’s magnetosphere, Astrophys. Space Sci., 1988, vol. 144, pp. 215–229.
Merzlyakov, E.G., On the motion of submicron particles in low Earth orbits, Cosmic Res., 1996, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 518–520.
Kolesnikov, E.K., Peculiarities of the orbital motion of submicron particles in the Earth’s plasmasphere, Cosmic Res., 2001, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 92–97.
Kolesnikov, E.K. and Chernov, S.V., Dimensions of microparticles trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field at various geomagnetic activity levels, Cosmic Res., 2003, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 526–527.
Yakovlev, A.B., Kolesnikov, E.K., and Chernov, S.V., Analytical research of the possibility of long orbital existence of submicron particles in the Earth’s plasmasphere by the methods of the KAM theory, J. Plasma Phys., 2017, vol. 83, p. 905830306. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377817000447
Yakovlev, A.B., Kolesnikov, E.K., and Chernov, S.V., The restrictions on the assumption about conservations of parameters of orbit for submicron particles in the Earth’s plasmasphere in light of the corotational electric field, J. Plasma Phys., 2018, vol. 84, p. 905840613. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377818001241
Yakovlev, A.B., Kolesnikov, E.K., and Chernov, S.V., Investigation of the influence of the field of corotation on the possibility of the long-term orbital existence of submicron particles in the plasmasphere of the Earth, Phys. Astron. Int. J., 2018, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 48–53. http://medcraveonline.com/PAIJ/PAIJ-02-00047.pdf
Bondarenko, E.B., Aver’yanov, P.V., and Zaitsev, S.E., Development of a simulation stand for the design and verification of onboard software in terms of spacecraft navigation, Doklad na 43-kh akademicheskikh Korolevskikh chteniyakh po kosmonavtike (Report at the 43rd Academic Korolev Readings on Astronautics), 2019.
Green, B.D., et al., Optical environment surrounding the MSX spacecraft, Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Materials in Space Environment, Toulouse, France, 1997, pp. 153–160.
Baranov, V.M., Polikarpov, N.A., Novikova, N.D., et al., Main results of the Biorisk experiment on the International Space Station, Aviakosm. Ekol. Med., 2006, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 3–9.
Tsygankov, O.S., Grebennikova, T.V., Deshevaya, E.A., et al., Studies of a finely dispersed medium on the outer surface of the International Space Station in the Test experiment: Viable microbiological objects discovered, Kosm. Tekh. Tekhnol., 2015, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 31–41.
Evtushenko, Yu.G., Krylov, I.A., Merzhanova, R.F., et al., Movement of artificial satellites in the gravitational field of the Earth, Matematicheskie metody v dinamike kosmicheskikh apparatov (Mathematical Methods in Spacecraft Dynamics), Moscow: Vychisl. Tsentr Akad. Nauk SSSR, 1967.
Alfvén, H. and Falthammar, K.G., Cosmical Electrodynamics, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.
Thébault, E., et al., International geomagnetic reference field: the 12th generation, Earth, Planets Space, 2015, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 1–19.
Hapgood, M.A., Space physics coordinate transformations: a user guide, Planet. Space Sci., 1992, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 711–717.
Bohren, C. and Huffman, D., Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles, New York: Wiley-VCH, 1998.
Kolesnikov, E.K., Dynamic models of the propagation of charged particle flows in space plasma, Doctoral (Phys.–Math.) Dissertation, St. Petersburg: St.-Petersb. State Univ., 1998.
Picone, J.M., Hedin, A.E., Drob, D.P., et al., NRLMSISE-00 empirical model of the atmosphere: Statistical comparisons and scientific issues, J. Geophys. Res., 2002, vol. 107, no. A12, pp. SIA 15-1–SIA 15-16.
Kanal, M., Theory of current collection of moving spherical probes, Sci. Rep. JS-5. Space Physics Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI: Univ. of Michigan, 1962.
Whipple, E.C., Potentials of surfaces in space, Rep. Prog. Phys., 1981, vol. 44, pp. 1197–1250.
Katz, I., Parcs, D.E., Mandell, M.J., et al., A three dimensional dynamic study of electrostatic charging in materials, NASA Report CR-135256, Washington, DC: Natl. Aeronaut. Space Admin., 1977.
Draine, B.T. and Salpeter, E.E., On the physics of dust grains in hot gas, Astrophys. J., 1979, vol. 231, pp. 77–94.
Prokopenko, S.M.L. and Laframboise, J.G., High-voltage differential charging of geostationary spacecraft, J. Geophys. Res., 1980, vol. 85, no. A8, pp. 4125–4131.
Grard, R.J.L., Properties of the satellite photoelectron sheath derived from photoemission laboratory measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 1973, vol. 78, no. 16, pp. 2885–2906.
Elinson, M.I. and Vasil’ev, G.F., Avtoelektronnaya emissiya (Autoelectronic Emission), Moscow: Fizmatgiz, 1958.
Bilitza, D., Altadill, D., Truhlik, V., et al., International Reference Ionosphere 2016: From ionospheric climate to real-time weather predictions, Space Weather, 2017, vol. 15, pp. 418–429.
Hill, J.R. and Whipple, E.C., Charging of large structures in space with application to the solar sail spacecraft, J. Spacecr. Rockets, 1985, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 245–253.
Lyons, L.R. and Williams, D.J., Quantitative Aspects of Magnetospheric Physics, Dordrecht, Holland: D. Reidel Publishing, 1987.
Garrett, H.B. and DeForest, S.E., Time-varying photoelectron flux effects on spacecraft potential at geosynchronous orbit, J. Geophys. Res., 1979, vol. 84, no. A5, pp. 2083–2088.
Kolesnikov, E.K. and Chernov, S.V., On the possibility of long-term orbital existence of nanoparticles of matter with low photoemission yield in the Earth’s plasmasphere, Cosmic Res., 2015, vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 354–359.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Translated by Yu. Preobrazhensky
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kolesnikov, E.K., Chernov, S.V. Times of Existence of Technogenic Microparticles Injected into Near-Earth Space in a Geostationary Orbit. Cosmic Res 60, 275–281 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0010952522040050
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0010952522040050