Space is dusty, and it's causing more damage to the Hubble Space Telescope than you'd think

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-05-13 09:01

International

Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash

Tiny pieces of cosmic dust, not artificial debris, could pose the biggest danger to spacecrafts, according to international researchers who analysed material from the Hubble Space Telescope. The team found that natural cosmic dust grains (also known as micrometeoroids), up to one-third of a millimetre in diameter, are responsible for 90% of the largest impacts over the last 15 years, compared to relatively few impacts by artificial debris. These insights could help engineers predict dangers and design spacecrafts able to withstand impacts with cosmic dust, the team says.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Cosmic Dust Impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope – Analysing material returned from the Hubble Space Telescope may help predict the dangers cosmic dust grains pose to spacecraft and mitigate against them. This study found that natural cosmic dust grains, up to one-third of a millimetre in diameter, are responsible for 90% of the largest impacts over 15 years, compared to relatively few impacts by artificial debris. These insights could help design spacecraft able to withstand impacts with cosmic dust.

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Journal/
conference: Philosophical Transactions A

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Natural History Museum, UK

Funder: Further research at NHM was supported by thematic funds. Light gas gun and analytic facilities at the University of Kent were supported by STFC grants (ST/N000854/1 and ST/S000348/1).

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