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Vacuum Recovery of Polyimide Films Damaged with High Energy Electron Radiation

  • Emerging Techniques in Space Domain Awareness
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Abstract

Ground- and space-based optical observations of space objects rely on knowledge about how spacecraft materials interact with light. In polymers, the changes in optical signature occur due to surface degradation caused by radiation induced chemical modification. This leads to altered reflectivity and deviation from a material’s expected absorption/transmission properties. The optical fingerprint of commonly used spacecraft materials changes continuously under space weather exposure. Laboratory observations have also shown that these changes in a material’s optical signature are to some degree transient. This work investigates the rate and degree of “optical healing” in vacuum and air exposure for electron damaged polyimide (PI) samples. Characterization of optical damage as a function of electron exposure and optical healing as a function of time in vacuum represents a major step toward a predictive model for optical characterization of space objects.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Remote Sensing and Imaging Physics Portfolio (Dr. Michael Yakes) Grant 20RVCOR024. Authors also would like to thank Mr. Timothy R. Scott from DuPont de Nemours, Inc., for providing polyimide materials for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Assurance Technology Corporation, Carlisle, MA, 01741, USA

    Elena A. Plis

  2. Georgia Tech Research Institute, 925 Dalney St NW, Atlanta, GA, 30318, USA

    Elena A. Plis

  3. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Daniel P. Engelhart

  4. National Research Council at Air Force Research Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM, 87117, USA

    Vanessa G. Murray

  5. Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM, 87117, USA

    Dale C. Ferguson & Ryan C. Hoffmann

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Correspondence to Elena A. Plis.

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This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Emerging Techniques in Space Domain Awareness.

Guest Editors: Elena Plis, Daniel P. Engelhart, Ryan C. Hoffmann, Vishnu Reddy, Roberto Furfaro, James Frith.

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Plis, E.A., Engelhart, D.P., Murray, V.G. et al. Vacuum Recovery of Polyimide Films Damaged with High Energy Electron Radiation. J Astronaut Sci 69, 1250–1261 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-022-00336-w

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