Spaceships hull armor…solid?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

That’s not what is found when engineers test it. Actual spacecraft such as the ISS are built with (multi-bump, stuffed) Whipple shields and not with monolithic slab armour because hypervelocity impacts are in fact not only grossly energetic but also penetrating. Superficial explosions are not observed in tests, and actual rocket scientists don’t plan for them. Your expectations notwithstanding.

Every time I hear things like this there is _never_ any mention of velocity.

What I expect from "armor" for the ISS is testing within and preparation for a relatively low range of velocities and impactor sizes i.e what they expect to see in this specific case.