STUDY OF ARCING ON SPACE STRUCTURES IN LOW EARTH ORBIT (PC-058)

Award Information

Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Branch: N/A

Contract: N/A

Agency Tracking Number: 6771

Amount: $491,438.00

Phase: Phase II

Program: SBIR

Solicitation Topic Code: N/A

Solicitation Number: N/A

Timeline

Solicitation Year: N/A

Award Year: 1990

Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A

Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A

Small Business Information

PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC.

20 New England Business Center

Andover, MA 01810

United States

DUNS: N/A

HUBZone Owned: No

Woman Owned: No

Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No

Principal Investigator

Name: Dr Guy Weyl
Phone: () -

Business Contact

Phone: () -

Research Institution

N/A

Abstract

ARCING OF PARTIALLY INSULATED SPACE COMPONENTS HAS BEEN OBSERVED WHEN THESE COMPONENTS ARE BIASED NEGATIVELY WITH RESPECT TO THE SPACE PLASMA. ARCING IS DETRIMENTAL TO SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND MAY CAUSE MATERIAL DETERIORATION AND EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE COMPONENT. WE PROPOSE TO IDENTIFY THE KEY DESIGN PARAMETERS THAT DETERMINE ONSET OF ARCING ANDTO INCORPORATE THEM INTO AN ARCING MODEL. EXERCISE OF THIS MODEL WILL ESTABLISH LIMITATIONS OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCE DUE TO ARCING. PHYSICAL EFFECTS THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED IN PARTICULAR ARE: FIELD EMISSION, SPUTTERING, OUTGASSING OF SURFACES, ELECTRON IMPACT IONIZATION AND NEGATIVE ION FORMATION. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE RESULTS OF THE MODEL COULD BE TESTED IN A SUBSEQUENT EXPERIMENTAL PHASE II OF THE WORK AND KEY PARAMETERS ESTABLISHED.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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STUDY OF ARCING ON SPACE STRUCTURES IN LOW EARTH ORBIT (PC-058)