Description:

• Globally, the largest area for directed atomic oxygen exposure

• Provides accelerated rates of exposure to a directed/scattered beam of atomic oxygen and vacuum ultraviolet radiation.

• Offers in situ optical characterization.

• Various materilas can be exposed in system with uniform flux over approximately 30- by 30-cm area.

• Electron-Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma source operated on pure oxygen to generate low-energy beam.

• Beam predominantly neurtral atomix oxygen with ion content of less than 1 percent at energies below 30 electron volts.

• Atomic oxygen arrival flux is controllable within range of 1015 to 1017 atoms/cm2-sec.

• Vacuum ultraviolet radiation emitted by source can irradiate samples or be blocked allowing only atomic oxygen exposure.

• Deuterium lamps provide vacuum ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths from 115 to 200 mm with an intensity of 3 to 5 equivalent suns.

• Evaluates synergetic effects of Low Earth Orbit atomic oxygen and vacuum ultraviolet radiation on materials.

• Exposure of materials under mechanical loading.

• 10-6-torr base operating pressure.

• Sweeping exposure of large components.

• Synergistic vacuum ultraviolet radiation exposure.
  

• Elevated-temperature exposures.

• Total hemispherical spectral reflectance measurements made in situ on up to four 1-in.-diameter samples during exposure test.

• Automatically controlled for safe, continuous unattended operation for up to 1 month.

Research Projects:

• Predicts durability of spacecraft materials, components, and coatings required to survive in Low Earth Orbit.

• Supports International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope first servicing mission, Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Earth-observing missions.

Potential Uses:

• Supporting Earth-observing system and other future Low Earth Orbit missions.

• Evaluating newly developed materials for Low Earth Orbit application.

• Commercial dual-use testing in organic removal and surface texturing.

• Used to predict durability of spacecraft materials, components, and coatings required to survive in low earth orbit.

• Has supported International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope first servicing mission, ceres, trmm earth observing missions, and numerous tests of satellite materials for aerospace industry.

• Kapton sample with protective coating (having multiple scratches) exposed to atomic oxygen beam to test durability in low earth orbit. SEM photomicrograph of pyrolytic graphite textured by atomic oxygen.

Abstracts

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Last Updated: 09/04/2008