Protective properties of pleated wire mesh shields for spacecraft protection against meteoroids and space debris

The use of spacecraft shield protection against orbital debris and micrometeoroids in the design of a spacecraft involves optimizing its mass. Study of the metal mesh protective shields confirmed their higher efficiency compared to the solid shields. Increasing the resistance of protective shields can be achieved, in particular, by using various geometric features of their component parts (mutual arrangement of layers, angle of inclination). In this paper, using high-velocity impact tests, the sturdiness of the authors ’ patented pleated wire mesh shield is investigated. The protective properties of the proposed construction have been confirmed to be increased in comparison with conventional mesh shields of equal specific gravity.