Daniel P. Engelhart, Air Force Research Laboratory, Elena Plis, Assurance Technology Corporation, Dale Ferguson, Air Force Research Laboratory, Russell Cooper, Air Force Research Laboratory, Ryan Hoffmann, Air Force Research Laboratory
Keywords: Polyimide, electron induced chemistry, high-density insulating materials, FTIR spectroscopy
Abstract:
Ground- and space-based optical observations of space objects rely on knowledge about how spacecraft materials interact with light. However, this is not a static property. Each material’s optical fingerprint changes continuously throughout a spacecraft’s orbital lifetime. These changes in optical signature occur because energetic particles break bonds within a material and new bonds subsequently form. The newly formed bonds can be identical to the original bonds or different, resulting in a new material. The chemical bonds comprising the material dictate which wavelengths of light are absorbed. Understanding the processes of material damage and recovery individually will allow development of a predictive model for materials’ optical properties as a function of exposure to the space environment. In order to characterize the properties, we have exposed samples of polyimide to high energy electrons comparable to those found in a geostationary earth orbit in order to simulate damage on orbit. The resultant changes in the material’s optical fingerprint were then characterized in the wavelength range of 0.2 to 25 microns. The chemical modifications to the material that result in these optical changes have also been identified. After initial electron-induced damage, the rate and mechanism of material recovery have been monitored and found to be extremely sensitive to the exposure of the damaged material to air. The implications of that fact and experimental progress toward complete in vacuo characterization will be discussed.
Date of Conference: September 20-23, 2016
Track: Poster