What is the function of the outer sacrificial layer of a Whipple shield upon impact?

Answer

To vaporize or shatter the projectile into fragments

When a projectile strikes the outer sacrificial layer of the shielding, the impact energy is used to vaporize or shatter the object into a less energetic cloud of plasma and fragments.

What is the function of the outer sacrificial layer of a Whipple shield upon impact?

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