Development of perforation hole detection system for space debris impact

There is no effective protective measure against space debris between 1 and 10 cm in diameter. Debris in this size range can perforate the pressurized walls in the International Space Station (ISS). According to the current ISS operating procedures, crews must escape from a punctured module at once. However prompt detection of the perforation hole location is difficult in the current state of the ISS. Therefore it is important to install a detection system to the locate perforation hole on a space structure for both the quick decision of escape direction and repair location. In this study, we propose a perforation hole detection system for space debris impact. This system uses a resistance film attached to the pressurized wall as an area sensor. The effectiveness of this detection system was verified by numerical analysis and pseudo-perforation hole tests but also hypervelocity impact tests.