Re: Mitigation Options?
>1. Is there enough strength in the mirror & coating to avoid damage?
For a rock doing 10km/s? Faster than an explosive shaped charge, like the ones you use to make holes in tanks? No
>2. If there is an impact & damage occurs, how much can you sustain before the capabilities are degraded?
If you just punch a hole through a solar panel or sunshield - minor effect.
Even a ding out of a mirror isn't a huge problem. The mirrors are very stiff so you tend to make a small chip rather than bending it.
>3. How much adjustment do you have to correct mirror alignment if an impact duffs up more than specs on the coating?
You can't realign to fix a chip smaller than a mirror segment. Potentially you could lose an entire segment if a rock totally smashed it, or hit it hard enough to bend the support. Still better than losing an entire mirror