C. L. Hakes

EOIM-III Mass Spectrometry and Polymer Chemistry: STS 46, July-August 1992

The Evaluation of Oxygen Interactions with Materials III space-flight experiment was developed to obtain benchmark atomic-oxygen reactivity data and was conducted during Space Transportation System Mission 46. We present an overview of the flight experiment and the results of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center polymer chemistry and mass-spectrometer-carousel experiments. Mass-spectrometric measurements of gaseous products formed by O-atom reaction with 13C-labeled Kapton™ revealed CO, CO2, H2O, NO, and NCh. By operating the mass spectrometer to detect naturally occurring ionospheric species, we characterized the ambient ionosphere at various times during the flight experiment and detected the gaseous reaction products formed when ambient ions interacted with the 13C Kapton carousel sector. Direct comparison of the results of on-orbit O-atom exposures with those conducted in ground-based laboratory systems, which provide known O-atom fluences and translational energies, demonstrated the strong translational-energy dependence of O-atom reactions with a variety of polymers. A line-of-centers reactive scattering model was shown to provide a reasonably accurate description of the translational-energy dependence of polymer reactions with O atoms at high atom kinetic energies, and a Beckerle-Ceyer model provided an accurate description of O-atom reactivity over a three-order-of -magnitude range in translational energy and a four-order-of-magnitude range in reaction efficiency. Postflight studies of the polymer samples by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy demonstrate that O-atom attack is confined to the near-surface region of the sample, that is, within 50 to 100 A of the surface.

Oxygen Interactions with Materials III— Mission and Induced Environments

The Evaluation of Oxygen Interactions with Materials III (EOIM-IH) flight experiment was developed to obtain benchmark atomic-oxygen-material reactivity data. The experiment was conducted during Space Shuttle mission 46, July 31 to August 7, 1992. Quantitative interpretation of the materials reactivity measurements requires a complete and accurate definition of the space environment exposure, including the thermal history of the payload, the solar ultraviolet exposure, the atomic-oxygen fluence, and any spacecraft outgassing and contamination effects. The thermal history of the payload was measured using 11 thermocouple sensors placed behind selected samples and on the EOIM-III payload structure. The solar ultraviolet exposure history of the EOIM-IH payload was determined by analysis of the as-flown orbit and vehicle attitude combined with daily average solar ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet fluxes. The atomic-oxygen fluence was assessed in three ways. First, the O-atom fluence was calculated using a program that incorporates the MSIS-86 atmospheric model, the as-flown Space Shuttle trajectory, and solar activity parameters. Second, it was estimated directly from Kapton film erosion. Third, ambient O-atom measurements were made using the quadrupole mass spectrometer on the EOIM-III payload. As of this writing, our best estimate of the O-atom fluence is (2.3 ± 0.3) X1020 atoms/cm2. Finally, results of postflight surface analysis of selected samples by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate low levels of molecular contamination on the payload surface.

Shuttle primary reaction control system engine exhaust plume contamination effects

Space Shuttle proximity operations constitute an important part of the SSF induced external environment. The impingement of primary reaction control system (PRCS) engine plumes on SSF functional surfaces during docking or berthing and separation leads to concerns about molecular contamination and high speed particle impact. The Shuttle Plume Impingement flight Experiment (SPIE) was designed to provide a direct measure of both the molecular contamination and particle impact rates produced by Shuttle PRCS engines in the LEO environment. The measured permanent deposition produced by PRCS engine firings was less than that assumed in current SSF programatic assessments. Only two to three possible high velocity particle impact pits were observed on the RMS end effector hardware.