Hypervelocity impacts and protection

Starting with an introduction into the field of hypervelocity impacts this paper will give an overview over current research in the area of protection against space debris. In a second part emphasis will be put on pointing out trends and strategies to further develop know-how in protection technology. One purpose is to demonstrate that improvements in shield efficiency can be expected. To achieve this aim, a strategy is outlined, which tries to avoid adjustment of numerical and material parameters by fits to penetration experiments. Instead, it is suggested to determine material parameters from carefully selected laboratory tests, covering a broad range of strains, strain rates and stress states. Knowledge of the dynamic material behaviour then can be used for the development of new shield concepts by means of numerical simulation.