Space Hazards on ISS: How Much Is at Risk?

[GTOM]

I wondered, how much micrometeors, solar storms endanger the infrastructure and personnel of ISS?
Does it require really thick outer walls, and quite regular maintenance?

 

[Borg]

It doesn't use thick walls to protect the crew, it uses a kevlar blanket.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/aug/16/spaceexploration.timradford

 

[Joe Martin]

The ISS is regularly hit, but mainly by space junk orbiting the Earth. As was said above, a Kevlar blanket protects them. The ISS can usually detect incoming objects, so for bigger things they can rotate and move the station a fraction to help avoid it. Regular (I believe daily!) spacewalks are sent out to repair damage caused by these things. As to solar storms, the ISS is close enough to the Earth that the Earth's magnetic force keeps the station safe. Hope this answers your question! ;)

 

[davenn]

As to solar storms, the ISS is close enough to the Earth that the Earth's magnetic force keeps the station safe. Hope this answers your question!

No, that is incorrect

The ISS and any other orbiting spacecraft is peppered with cosmic rays from deep space as well as hi energy solar protons
No known shielding can completely stop the cosmic rays. Solar protons ejected from the sun by solar flares as CME's, on the other
hand are reasonably easy to stop with the aluminium and Kevlar skins

The ISS has a "more protected" area in the USA built Destiny Module that the astronauts can shelter in against X-ray and Gamma ray events from the sun

Dave

 

[russ_watters]

The ISS is regularly hit, but mainly by space junk orbiting the Earth. As was said above, a Kevlar blanket protects them. The ISS can usually detect incoming objects, so for bigger things they can rotate and move the station a fraction to help avoid it. Regular (I believe daily!) spacewalks are sent out to repair damage caused by these things. As to solar storms, the ISS is close enough to the Earth that the Earth's magnetic force keeps the station safe. Hope this answers your question! ;)

Do you have any references to any of that? I know the ISS has Kevlar sheilding, but I'd be shocked if it could stop anything larger than a dandruff flake. Per unit mass, an object on an opposite orbit has 1,000 times the kinetic energy of a bullet. That would turn a small nut or bolt into an artillery shell.

 

[GTOM]

Do you have any references to any of that? I know the ISS has Kevlar sheilding, but I'd be shocked if it could stop anything larger than a dandruff flake. Per unit mass, an object on an opposite orbit has 1,000 times the kinetic energy of a bullet. That would turn a small nut or bolt into an artillery shell.

My question was about micrometeors, not visible threat.
Yes we managed to create an amount of space debris, but i also read somewhere (sorry i don't have a reference) that in every day, Earth swallows quite an amount of space dust. (dozens of kilos maybe? Well i'd be thankful for a reference.)

 

[Chronos]

If hanging out on the ISS for six months is hazardous (as suggested by current studies), a 2 year manned mission to Mars is virtually suicidal at present.

 

[Joe Martin]

What I said I heard at a lecture by a NASA engineer. Sorry if it's not correct by your books, but that was what he told me! ;)

 

[davenn]

I suspect you may have misunderstood him

there bunches of references online and many of them from NASA about the dangers and preventative measures taken :)

 

[Borg]

What I said I heard at a lecture by a NASA engineer. Sorry if it's not correct by your books, but that was what he told me! ;)

Also, "what you heard" isn't considered authoritative - The telephone game.