A Severe Spacecraft-Charging Event on SCATHA in September 1982,

Abstract

On September 22, 1982, 29 large amplitude electrostatic discharges were detected by the Pulse Analyzer onboard the SCATHA satellite. Seventeen of these pulses exceeded the maximum voltage discrimination level, which was set to 7.4 volts. This was the worst instance of electrostatic discharges encountered to date by the SCATHA satellite. Three different spacecraft anomalies occurred on SCATHA that day, the most serious being a two-minute loss of data. During this same time period, the Surface Potential Monitor experiment aboard the satellite measured the largest differential surface charging observed in the data since the satellite's launch in January 1979. Keywords: Electrostatic discharges; Spacecraft anomalies; Spacecraft charging.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 05, 1988
Accession Number
ADA193007

Entities

People

  • Harry C. Koons
  • James Roeder
  • Joseph F. Fennell
  • P. F. Mizera

Organizations

  • The Aerospace Corporation

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amplitude
  • Analyzers
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Classification
  • Detectors
  • Distribution Functions
  • Electrons
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • High Energy
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Monitors
  • Pulse Analyzers
  • Security
  • Space Sciences
  • Spacecraft
  • Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster