Effects of Spacecraft Material Outgassing on Optical Systems in the Vacuum Ultraviolet

Abstract

A new facility for measurement of transmittance as a function of contaminant thickness in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral region is described in this report. A series of tests were completed to validate the operation of the chamber and the spectral diagnostic systems. Transmittance of contaminant films deposited on a window were measured for five typical spacecraft materials. System performance met design specifications, with the exception of the signal to noise in the short wavenumber spectral range (115-130 nm). This problem resulted from the degradation of the deuterium source lamp output. The reduced output was caused by the accumulation of contaminants on the lamp window. Periodic cleaning of the lamp window can eliminate this problem.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA296935

Entities

People

  • W. T. Bertrand

Organizations

  • Arnold Engineering Development Complex

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Computers
  • Data Acquisition
  • Difference Frequency
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Frequency
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Optical Properties
  • Oscillators
  • Quartz Crystal Microbalances
  • Spacecraft
  • Specifications
  • Transmittance

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Software Engineering
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.

Technology Areas

  • Space