NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Internal Charging Design Environments for the Earths Radiation BeltsRelativistic electrons in the Earth's radiation belts are a widely recognized threat to spacecraft because they penetrate lightly shielded vehicle hulls and deep into insulating materials where they accumulate to sufficient levels to produce electrostatic discharges. Strategies for evaluating the magnitude of the relativistic electron flux environment and its potential for producing ESD events are varied. Simple "rule of thumb" estimates such as the widely used 10(exp 10) e-/sq cm fluence within 10 hour threshold for the onset of pulsing in dielectric materials provide a quick estimate of when to expect charging issues. More sophisticated strategies based on models of the trapped electron flux within the Earth s magnetic field provide time dependent estimates of electron flux along spacecraft orbits and orbit integrate electron flux. Finally, measurements of electron flux can be used to demonstrate mean and extreme relativistic electron environments. This presentation will evaluate strategies used to specify energetic electron flux and fluence environments along spacecraft trajectories in the Earth s radiation belts.
Document ID
20090023546
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Minow, Joseph I.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Edwards, David L.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
June 22, 2009
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Conference
Location: San Antonio, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: June 22, 2009
End Date: June 25, 2009
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available