Extending the Applicability of Thermal Protection System Ballistic Limit Equations Beyond the Testable Regime

Abstract Spacecraft use thermal insulation in their design, which is usually placed on their exterior. As such, it is susceptible to high-speed impacts by meteoroids and orbital debris, which can dam-age it to a point where the protection it offers is below acceptable limits. It is important to be able to characterize expected levels of damage stemming from such high-speed impacts. In this paper, we extend the applicability of a previously-developed ballistic limit equation (BLE) for one such thermal insulation material using the results of a series of Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) impact simulations at velocities in excess of 10 km/s. When the predictions of the updated and expanded BLE were compared against the results of the SPHC runs, the predictions were seen to be consistent with the data regarding whether or not a particular impact might or might not result in the perforation of the underlying substructure upon to which the thermal insulation was attached.