All Physics Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science
Volume
40
Issue
2
Publication Date
2-2012
First Page
254
Last Page
261
Abstract
The effects of prolonged exposure to the LEO space environment and charge-enhanced contamination on optical, thermal, and electron emission and transport properties of common spacecraft materials have been investigated by comparing pre- and post-flight characterization measurements. The State of Utah Space Environment and Contamination Study (SUSpECS) deployed in March 2008 on board the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-6) payload, was exposed for ~18 months on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS), and was retrieved in September 2009. A total of 165 samples were mounted on three separate SUSpECS panels on the ram and wake sides on the ISS. Some samples, particularly those exposed to atomic oxygen in the ram direction, showed pronounced effects due to exposure. Biased samples for the charge-enhanced contamination study showed subtle variations in visible and infrared reflectivity.
Recommended Citation
JR Dennison, Amberly Evans, Danielle Fullmer, and Joshua L. Hodges, “Charge Enhanced Contamination and Environmental Degradation of MISSE-6 SUSpECS Materials,” IEEE Trans. on Plasma Sci., 40(2), 254-261 (2012). DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2011.2178104
Comments
Published by IEEE in IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science. Author post print available for download through link above.
Research was supported by funding from USU Space Dynamics Laboratory, the NASA Solar Probe Mission through Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and a Utah State University Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities grant.