  This paper presents the development of an in situ measurement system known as
the Debris Resistive Acoustic Grid Orbital Navy/NASA Sensor (DRAGONS). The
DRAGONS system is designed to detect impacts caused by particles ranging from
50 micrometers to 1 mm at both low-earth and geostationary orbits. DRAGONS
utilizes a combination of low-cost sensor technologies to facilitate accurate
measurements and approximations of the size, velocity, and angle of impacting
micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD). Two thin layers of kapton sheets
with resistive traces are used to detect the changes in resistance that are
directly proportional to the impacting force caused by the fast traveling
particles. Four polyvinylidene fluoride-based sensors are positioned in the
back of each kapton sheet to measure acoustic strain caused by an impact. The
electronic hardware module that controls all operations employs a low-power,
modular, and compact design that enables it to be installed as a low-resource
load on a host satellite. Laboratory results demonstrate that in addition to
having the ability to detect an impact event, the DRAGONS system can determine
impact location, speed, and angle of impact with a mean error of 1.4 cm, 0.2
km/s, and 5{\deg}. The DRAGONS system could be deployed as an add-on subsystem
of a payload to enable a real-time, in-depth study of the properties of MMOD.
