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Identifying Radiation Induced Spectroscopic Changes in Polyimide Materials

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Abstract

The harsh space environment induces changes in optical signature of spacecraft polymeric materials which can occur due to surface degradation, leading to altered reflectivity, or due to radiation induced chemical modification, leading to an alteration of a material’s absorption/transmission. The optical character of commonly used materials change continuously under exposure to high energy electrons, a primary damaging species in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO). In this study we employed directional hemispherical reflectance (DHR) measurements to study the evolution of optical properties of several electron-irradiated PI materials during irradiation with high energy electrons. In particular, we present DHR spectra and the astronomical color index of chosen materials as a function of electron fluence to assist the spacecraft designers to understand each material’s value as a thermal control surface as a function of GEO exposure.

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Acknowledgments

We would also like to acknowledge the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Physics of Remote Sensing Program under the direction of Dr. Michael Yakes (LRIR #20RVCOR024). Vanessa Murray would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Academy of Science’s Research Associateship Program. Jacqueline A. Reyes would like to acknowledge the AFRL Scholars Program which allowed her to conduct this study, and the NASA Fellowship Activity program (Award #80NSSC18K1702) that is currently supporting her research and academic studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. 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. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Daniel P. Engelhart

  2. University of Texas at El Paso – Jacobs JETS Contract, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Jacqueline A. Reyes

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

    Vanessa G. Murray

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

    Dale C. Ferguson & Ryan C. Hoffmann

Authors
  1. Daniel P. Engelhart
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  2. Jacqueline A. Reyes
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  3. Vanessa G. Murray
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  4. Dale C. Ferguson
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Correspondence to Daniel P. Engelhart.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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

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

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Engelhart, D.P., Reyes, J.A., Murray, V.G. et al. Identifying Radiation Induced Spectroscopic Changes in Polyimide Materials. J Astronaut Sci 69, 164–174 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-021-00291-y

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