3.5 Attitude Sensors The blinding of attitude sensors through laser irradiation has also been reported. Normal attitude sensors include earth sensors, sun sensors and star sensors. These use either germanium lenses with suitable filters and coatings (earth sensors) or glass/- fused silica lenses with suitable filters/coatings. Damage to these filters/coatings are sufficient to significantly affect performance. The threshold values for damage are likely to be similar to those for mirrors. 4. Conclusion Illustrative values of energy flux, pulse duration and laser power flux at the surface that would cause failure for solar cells, optical solar reflectors and mirrors are provided in Table I. The procedure to be followed for delineating the conditions under which the operation of a laser as a source of heat energy can be construed as an anti-satellite weapon would appear to be the following: • identify vulnerable parts of a typical spacecraft; • identify typical failure mechanisms for such vulnerable sub-systems and physical processes (melting, vaporising) and physical parameters (thickness, volume) associated with such failures;
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