Description: For NASA extended missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) protection for spacecraft, space stations and orbiting fuel depots is critical to mission safety. MMOD penetration is a risk for spacecraft and instruments; spacecraft designers must provide protection to minimize MMOD damage. Cryogenic propellants, and their thermal insulation, are also an important part of NASA's next generation vehicles. Orbital fuel depots must provide Zero Boiloff cryopropellant loss and maintain flightworthiness over extended missions in LEO. Quest & Ball have developed an innovative next generation MLI that could provide both high performance thermal insulation and light-weight MMOD protection. MMOD - Integrated MLI (MMOD-IMLI) uses precise layer spacing control from polymer spacers to provide the basis for an advanced multishock MMOD shield. MMOD-IMLI is a novel multi-layer system using IMLI with proprietary micromolded polymer spacers to control layer spacing and support high strength Nextel and Kevlar layers. IMLI has been proven to have 27% lower heat leak per layer than state-of-the-art MLI. MMOD-IMLI will use specific layer materials, thicknesses and layer spacing to provide excellent MMOD protection. Preliminary analysis indicates MMOD-IMLI will provide superior MMOD protection than Whipple or Stuffed Whipple shields, the current shields used on the ISS, with substantially lower mass and providing 95% Probability of No Penetration for an orbital fuel depot, while also providing higher thermal insulation than an equivalent number of layers of conventional MLI. This Phase I research will evaluate MMOD protection and thermal performance available from our IMLI technology, design MMOD-IMLI blanket/shields, build and test an MMOD-IMLI prototype for MMOD protection using hypervelocity impact tests and thermal performance via LN2 calorimetry, compare MMOD and heat leak results to those predicted, and determine feasibility of MMOD-IMLI.

Benefits: As with NASA's spacecraft, instruments and satellites, commercial and DoD spacecraft and cryogenic space instruments may require both MMOD protection and thermal insulation. MMOD-IMLI can be custom engineered to fit specific requirements for MMOD shielding and thermal insulation for any given mission. MMOD-IMLI provides a robust structure with predictable and repeatable performance, and assembly could be cost efficient. MMOD-IMLI might become the material of choice for future spacecraft. New Commercial Orbital Transportation Service vehicles, commercial space stations/habitats such as under construction by Bigelow Aerospace, and future orbital propellant depots will benefit from an effective lightweight thermal/MMOD blanket/shield. Quest's partner, Ball Aerospace, currently provides MLI for spacecraft for NASA, DoD and commercial space ventures. The DoD space market is about equal to the NASA and commercial market, or approximately $100M over twenty years.

Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris Integrated Multi-Layer Insulation (MMOD-IMLI) could provide both improved MMOD protection and superior thermal insulation in one integrated, light-weight system. MMOD protection is critical to Exploration missions and space-borne instruments. Spacecraft and instruments programs that have recently had MMOD protection implemented include the International Space Station, Magellan, Galileo, Mars Global Surveyor and Cassini. Standard NASA practice is to consider MMOD protection for all new spacecraft and satellites. Long duration missions such as the ISS and orbital fuel depots require MMOD shielding. Cryogenic propellants, and their thermal insulation, are also an important part of NASA's Exploration vehicles. Vehicles such as the EDS, orbital propellant depots and commercial space habitats will require both MMOD protection and thermal insulation. MMOD-IMLI may provide: Higher thermal insulation performance per layer or mass than conventional MLI Substantially lower mass for equivalent critical diameter particle protection than current Whipple or Stuffed Whipple shields To stop 6.3mm particles, a Whipple shield must have a mass of 15 - 20 kg/m2 (including standoffs), a four layer Nextel Multishock shield would be 10.8 kg/m2, and a MMOD-IMLI advanced multishock shield theoretically could have a mass as low as 4.1 kg/m2 MMOD-IMLI would provide both thermal insulation and MMOD shielding in one integrated structure