Spacecraft Charging by Magnetospheric Plasmas

Abstract
Spacecraft charging by magnetospheric plasma is a newly discovered space hazard that can virtually destroy spacecraft in Earth orbit if they are not properly designed. This volume is a collection of the manuscripts presented at a symposium on "Spacecraft Charging by Magnetospheric Plasmas," held in Washington, DC on June 16, 1975, subsequently revised and brought up to date for presentation herein. It is divided into three chapters so designed that each chapter may be read separately as a self-contained unit without reference to the other chapters. Chapter 1, Spacecraft Charging Technology Programs, describes the research programs instituted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Air Force in response to this problem; Chapter 2, Environmental Interaction with Spacecraft, describes the effects of the space environment on spacecraft. The chapter includes the observed malfunctions of spacecraft in orbit and their correlation with environmental substorm events, a description of that portion of the space environment that is responsible for charging spacecraft to the multikilovolt level, an analysis of the interaction that produces multikilovolt potentials, and some passive and active control methods for modifying these potentials; and, Chapter 3, Spacecraft Materials; Response to the Arcing Process, describes the relevant material properties and the mechanisms for the generation of arcs on spacecraft and, in addition, methods and procedures for testing spacecraft for their susceptibility to the associated arcing phenomena. Each chapter of this volume is introduced with a summary of its contents and a description of the major problems in that area.