Software Predicts Impacts of Orbital Debris on Spacecraft

The EXOS computer program numerically simulates impacts of orbital debris on spacecraft. EXOS can be used to simulate meteoroid- and orbital-debris-impact damage to commercial satellites, and to simulate effects of weapons on personal and vehicular protection systems. With further development, the simulation technique employed in the EXOS package could be adapted for use in structural applications; for example, to simulate crashes in evaluating designs of vehicles.