Low earth orbit atomic oxygen effects on surfaces

Abstract

Significant effects have been observed on surfaces in the Shuttle Orbiter payload bay and on some experiments due to exposure to the LEO environment. These effects, which are predominantly manifested as surface recession and therefore mass loss, appear to arise from oxidation from exposure to atomic oxygen, the major LEO component. Rates of interaction were measured on two experiments for a large group of materials and specifically for thin organic films, and are in the range of 2-3 x 10 to the 24th cu cm/atom. These rates are large enough to present significant problems for solar arrays which use similar thin films for solar-cell support.