ESA´s tools for internal charging

Author

Sorensen, John ; Rodgers, D.J. ; Ryden, K.A. ; Latham, P.M. ; Wrenn, G.L. ; Levy, L. ; Panabiere, G.

Author_Institution

ESA, Noordwijk, Netherlands

fYear

1999

fDate

1999

Firstpage

27

Lastpage

33

Abstract

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

Keywords

artificial satellites; electrostatic discharge; spacecraft charging; DICTAT; bulk charging; charge build-up; dedicated facilities; electrostatic discharges; engineering specification; internal charging; spacecraft insulating materials; Aircraft manufacture; Conducting materials; Conductivity; Dielectrics; Electrons; Electrostatic discharge; Insulation; Satellites; Space charge; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Radiation and Its Effects on Components and Systems, 1999. RADECS 99. 1999 Fifth European Conference on

Conference_Location

Fontevraud

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5726-4

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/RADECS.1999.858540

Filename

858540