Meteoroid/Debris Simulation at Ernst-Mach-Institut (EMI): Experimental Methods and Recent Results

The EMI light-gas gun acceleration facilities available for the simulation of micrometeoroid/orbital debris impact, as well as high-speed diagnostic installations and special instrumentation to visualize hypervelocity impact phenomena, are described. Using this equipment, various bumper shield arrangements have been tested in a wide range of particle masses and impact velocities, within the frame of the COLUMBUS Meteoroid/Debris Protection Study (MDPS), presently performed by ESA-ESTEC. Some recent essential results are presented. They demonstrate the effectiveness, but also the limitations and constraints of bumper shield protection systems