§ 450.121 Debris analysis.

(a) General. A flight safety analysis must include an analysis characterizing the hazardous debris generated from normal and malfunctioning vehicle flight as a function of vehicle flight sequence. (b) Vehicle impact and breakup analysis. A debris analysis must account for: (1) Each reasonably foreseeable cause of vehicle breakup and intact impact, (2) Vehicle structural characteristics and materials, and (3) Energetic effects during break-up or at impact. (c) Propagation of debris. A debris analysis must compute statistically valid debris impact probability distributions. The propagation of debris from each predicted breakup location to impact must account for— (1) All foreseeable forces that can influence any debris impact location; and (2) All foreseeable sources of impact dispersion, including, at a minimum: (i) The uncertainties in atmospheric conditions; (ii) Debris aerodynamic parameters, including uncertainties; (iii) Pre-breakup position and velocity, including uncertainties; and (iv) Breakup-imparted velocities, including uncertainties. (d) Application requirements. An applicant must submit: (1) A description of all scenarios that can lead to hazardous debris; (2) A description of the methods used to perform the vehicle impact and breakup analysis, in accordance with § 450.115(c); (3) A description of the methods used to compute debris impact distributions, in accordance with § 450.115(c); (4) A description of the atmospheric data used as input to the debris analysis; and (5) A quantitative description of the physical, aerodynamic, and harmful characteristics of hazardous debris.