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Role of energetic particles in charging/discharging of spacecraft dielectricsThe role that energetic particles in the substorm plasma have on the charging and discharging of typical dielectric layers used on spacecraft was investigated using spectra and pitch angle distributions measured in situ on the SCATHA spacecraft prior to and during a few kilovolt differential charging event in eclipse conditions. The particle spectra was input to deposition codes that determine the dose rate as a function of depth in Kapton and Teflon layers used in an experiment on SCATHA. The calculated ambient dose rates of a few rads/sec throughout the bulk of the samples are sufficiently high that radiation damage levels are reached on the time scale of 1 year. Surface dose is a factor of 100 higher. Bulk conductivity profiles were obtained from the dose rates using empirical relationships. The radiation induced bulk conductivities calculated at the peak charging time are found to be smaller than the intrinsic dark conductivity range of solar conditioned Kapton but higher than the corresponding value for Teflon.
Document ID
19820006346
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Reagan, J. B.
(Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Nightingale, R. W.
(Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Gaines, E. E.
(Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Meyerott, R. E.
(Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Imhof, W. L.
(Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 1981
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Lewis Research Center Spacecraft Charging Technol., 1980
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Accession Number
82N14219
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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