Measuring the spacecraft and environmental interactions of the 8-cm mercury ion thrusters on the P80-1 missionThe subject interface measurements are described for the Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System (IAPS) flight test of two 8-cm thrusters. The diagnostic devices and the effects to be measured include: 1) quartz crystal microbalances to detect nonvolatile deposition due to thruster operation; 2) warm and cold solar cell monitors for nonvolatile and volatile (mercury) deposition; 3) retarding potential ion collectors to characterize the low energy thruster ionic efflux; and 4) a probe to measure the spacecraft potential and thruster generated electron currents to biased spacecraft surfaces. The diagnostics will also assess space environmental interactions of the spacecraft and thrusters. The diagnostic data will characterize mercury thruster interfaces and provide data useful for future applications.
Document ID
19820031903
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Other - Collected Works
Authors
Power, J. L. (NASA Lewis Research Center Ion Auxiliary Propulsion Office, Cleveland, OH, United States)