Since the attitude timeline is defined for the Orbiter over the whole
mission timeline, the HITF was able to determine which attitudes left the
Shuttle the most vulnerable. The FEM, with mission parameters, are plugged into the Bumper
threat assessment code. The code applies a mathematical flux model describing the
meteoroid and debris environment. The final results produced by bumper
are expressed in terms of "probabitities of impact", "of failure", and "of no critical failure".
Here is a QuickTime VR movie of the Shuttle showing the location of the
various materials.
Notices: What You Need to Know About NASA JSC Web Policies
