"The Growing Peril of Space Debris" is receiving public attention. It is becoming a hazard to the military and civilian use of space, requiring international cooperation. Yet, it is still a little understood phenomenon. due in large part to a lack of adequate monitoring instrumentation. This program is to study the feasibility of the following critical approaches to a low cost spacecraft-mountable, passive optical space debris monitor: ( 1) Significant sensitivity improvement over previously proposed methods through the use of imaging and image-processing methods@ (2) electronic design, to level of block diagrams, of an orbital debris monitor@ (3) test methodology for the monitor before flight on spacecraft. The goal of Phase 11 is to design, construct and test a bench model of a space debris monitor. The goal in Phase III is a space debris monitor which fills the gap of information about objects at sizes from 0. I cm to 10 cm orbiting in the 500-1500 km altitude range.
