The Threshold Temperature Effect in High-Voltage Spacecraft Charging,
Abstract
A new property of spacecraft surface materials, the threshold temperature for high-voltage charging, is defined. A table of threshold temperatures, calculated for various spacecraft surface materials, is presented. This property explains and unifies several recently-identified phenomena affecting spacecraft charging, including: the existence of multiple floating potentials for certain spacecraft surfaces in certain external environments; sensitivity effects in the numerical prediction of spacecraft potentials; sudden jumps in both observed and simulated spacecraft potentials in slowly-varying environments; and observed threshold effects in high-voltage charging. In addition, knowledge of the threshold temperature for proposed or existing surface materials provides a simple, effective way to evaluate their charging behavior when exposed to various space environments. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 25, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADP002120
Entities
People
- J. G. Laframboise
- M. Kamitsuma
Organizations
- University of York