ESA's tools for internal charging

ESA's tools for internal charging

Electrostatic discharges, caused by bulk charging of spacecraft insulating materials, are a major cause of satellite anomalies. A quantitative knowledge of the charge build-up is essential in order to eliminate these problems in the design stage. This is a presentation of ESA's tools to assess...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Sorensen, J., Rodgers, D.J., Ryden, K.A., Latham, P.M., Wrenn, G.L., Levy, L., Panabiere, G.
Format: Tagungsbericht
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Aircraft manufacture
Conducting materials
Conductivity
Dielectrics
Electrons
Electrostatic discharge
Insulation
Satellites
Space charge
Testing
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Electrostatic discharges, caused by bulk charging of spacecraft insulating materials, are a major cause of satellite anomalies. A quantitative knowledge of the charge build-up is essential in order to eliminate these problems in the design stage. This is a presentation of ESA's tools to assess whether a given structure is liable to experience electrostatic discharges or not. A study has been made of the physical phenomenon, and an engineering specification has been created to be used to assess a structure for potential discharge problems. The specification has been implemented in new software, DICTAT. The implementation of tests in dedicated facilities is an important part of the specification, and tests have been performed to validate the new tool.
DOI:10.1109/RADECS.1999.858540