Document Type

Presentation

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Publication Date

Summer 8-3-2015

Abstract

A critical technology to master for any interplanetary probe is mitigation of risks from spacecraft charging and electrostatic discharge, which cause the majority of environmentally-induced “anomalies.” Understanding how charge is acquired through interaction with space fluxes of electrons, ions and photons; how temperature, dose and fields affect redistributed of charge within spacecraft materials; and what triggers electrostatic arcs all require the study of how charged particles interact with the structure of materials on an atomic scale. This seminar presents an overview of the dynamic properties of materials underlying spacecraft charging, how the material’s structure affects these properties, which properties are most influential, and how knowledge at this level can make inroads to more reliably predict the long term response of spacecraft to their environment.

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