System Electrostatic Discharge Testing for Space Charging Caused ESD Events

This talk is about ground testing of spacecraft to determine immunity to the electrostatic discharges (ESDs) in certain Earth orbits. The particular spacecraft used as an example is the TOPEX/Poseidon spacecraft, an Earth orbiter with a 1334 km, 62 degree orbit. The talk is based on my recent experience with that spacecraft, but is an example of a generally good program. The program and this talk consist of the following elements: a discussion of the environment, showing the specific hazard areas on the spacecraft to illustrate the space charging and ESD process; spacecraft design features related to the environmental threat; the test device used for TOPEX/Poseidon; the test itself, including logistic and actions to avoid inadvertent damage to the spacecraft; and conclusions and lessons learned.