ABOUT WHIPPLE SHIELD
The Whipple Shield is a dual-wall meteoroid and orbital debris protection system used on the ISS and other spacecraft. An outer bumper wall shatters incoming particles before they reach the pressure wall, spreading impact energy over a larger area. Modern enhanced versions add intermediate layers of Nextel ceramic fabric and Kevlar.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Category | Protection |
| Subcategory | MMOD Shielding |
| Manufacturer | Various (Boeing, NASA) |
| Mass | 0 kg |
| Power | 0 W |
| Dimensions | Varies by location and risk level |
| Redundancy | Multi-layer design is inherently redundant |
| Standard | NASA-STD-4003 |
| Status | Active |
| First Use | January 1, 1990 |
OPERATING PRINCIPLE
Outer aluminum bumper disrupts and fragments hypervelocity projectile; standoff gap allows debris cloud to spread; inner pressure wall stops dispersed fragments
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
| bumper_mm | 1-2 Al |
| standoff_cm | 10-30 |
| protection_mm | Up to 1.4 cm Al sphere at 7 km/s |
| layers | 2-4 |
MASS CONVERSIONS
| Kilograms | 0.0 kg |
| Pounds | 0.0 lbs |
VEHICLES USING WHIPPLE SHIELD (2)