Abstract
During the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) second servicing mission (SM2), astronauts noticed that the multi-layer insulation (MLI) covering the telescope was damaged. Large pieces of the outer layer of MLI (aluminized Teflon® fluorinated ethylene propylene (Al-FEP)) were cracked in several locations around the telescope. A piece of curled-up Al-FEP was retrieved by the astronauts and was found to be severely embrittled, as witnessed by ground testing.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) organized an HST MLI Failure Review Board (FRB) to determine the damage mechanism of the Al-FEP in the HST environment, and to recommend a replacement thermal control outer layer material to be installed on HST during the subsequent servicing missions. Candidate thermal control replacement materials were chosen by the FRB and tested for environmental durability under various exposures and durations by GSFC and NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC). This paper describes durability testing at LeRC of candidate materials which were exposed to charged particle radiation, simulated solar flare X-ray radiation and thermal cycling under load. Samples were evaluated for changes in solar absorptance and tear resistance. Descriptions of environmental exposures and durability evaluations of these materials are presented.
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References
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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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de Groh, K.K., Banks, B.A., Sechkar, E.A., Scheiman, D.A. (2001). Simulated Solar Flare X-Ray and Thermal Cycling Durability Evaluation of Hubble Space Telescope Thermal Control Candidate Replacement Materials. In: Kleiman, J.I., Tennyson, R.C. (eds) Protection of Space Materials from the Space Environment. Space Technology Proceedings, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0714-6_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0714-6_20
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