Spacecraft with a nuclear power system and problems of space debris

Onboard nuclear power sources (NPS) are related to the space debris problem in terms of several aspects: - Orbital spacecraft with NPSs themselves can be regarded as space debris and, hence, are potentially hazardous to space objects and (in the case of their incident) to ground-based objects; - In designing and launching of new spacecraft with NPSs, they should be protected from collisions with space debris, and measures should be taken to avoid man-induced contamination of the near-Earth space. Since the time of launching the first NPS into space, some experience has been accumulated, and techniques and codes helpful in solving population and environment safety problems have been developed.