Outer Bumper Plate
Aluminum Bumper Plate for Initial Fragmentation
The outer bumper plate is a sacrificial Aluminum 6061-T6 barrier, typically 2 to 4 mm thick with an areal density of 5.4 kg/m², that fragments incoming hypervelocity particles into a dispersed debris cloud before they reach an inner pressure wall. Positioned at a standoff distance of 10 to 30 cm, the plate shatters incident impactors to distribute kinetic energy over a broader area. Although the lunar surface micrometeoroid flux is only about one percent of that encountered in low Earth orbit, protective structures must withstand hypervelocity impacts without atmospheric shielding over a cumulative 100-year design lifetime.
Outer aluminum bumper plate (2-4 mm thick) that fragments incoming hypervelocity particles into a dispersed debris cloud before they reach the inner pressure wall.
Purpose
Outer aluminum bumper plate (2-4 mm thick) that fragments incoming hypervelocity particles into a dispersed debris cloud before they reach the inner pressure wall.
Context
Child of L2-MMD-WHIP within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Sacrificial bumper fragments incident particle on impact
- ▸Aluminum 6061-T6 widely used; equally important is areal density
- ▸Standoff distance 10-30 cm — fragments disperse over time
- ▸Bumper thickness ~1/4 of typical particle diameter
- ▸Lunar Whipple baseline: 2 mm Al bumper (per 2024 lunar studies)
Typical implementations
- ▸ISS Whipple Shield heritage
- ▸NASA HVIT (HyperVelocity Impact Technology) reference designs
- ▸Stardust mission multi-shock shield
- ▸Stuffed Whipple Shield for Lunar Structures (Springer 2024)
Lunar considerations
- ▸MMOD flux on lunar surface ~1% of ISS but cumulative over 100 years
- ▸ISRU Al production at L1-MFG enables in-situ replacement
- ▸Inspection via L3-MMD-DET-VIS rovers
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Outer aluminum bumper plate (2-4 mm thick) that fragments incoming hypervelocity particles into a dispersed debris cloud before they reach the inner pressure wall. |
| thickness mm | 2 |
| standoff cm | 15 |
| areal density kg per m2 | 5.4 |
Physical
| mass kg | 200 |
| materials | Aluminum 6061-T6 plate, Whipple-grade brazing |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 0 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
| mtbf hours | 1000000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Fragmented debris cloud after first impact
Requires
- Mounted with standoff struts to inner wall
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Outer Bumper Plate" (L3-MMD-WHIP-BUMP). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-MMD-WHIP-BUMP
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.