NASA-HDBK-4002, NASA TECHNICAL HANDBOOK: AVOIDING PROBLEMS CAUSED BY SPACECRAFT ON-ORBIT INTERNAL CHARGING EFFECTS (17 FEB 1998)

NASA-HDBK-4002, NASA TECHNICAL HANDBOOK: AVOIDING PROBLEMS CAUSED BY SPACECRAFT ON-ORBIT INTERNAL CHARGING EFFECTS (17 FEB 1998)., This handbook is approved for use by NASA Headquarters and all NASA Centers and is intended to provide a common framework for consistent practices across NASA programs. Its contents are equally applicable to any spacecraft. The handbook was developed to address the growing concerns associated with the in-flight buildup of charge on internal spacecraft components due to space plasmas with high energy electrons. Spacecraft charging, defined as the buildup of charge in and on spacecraft materials, is a significant phenomenon for spacecraft in certain Earth and other planetary environments. Design for control and mitigation of surface charging, the buildup of charge on the exterior surfaces of a spacecraft due to space plasmas, is treated in detail in NASA TP2361, “Design Guidelines for Assessing and Controlling Spacecraft Charging Effects” (September 1984). This handbook details some methods and techniques to mitigate internal charging. It is written as a companion document to NASA TP2361 and should be used in that context. Although many of the ideas presented here have a long heritage, this document collects them in one convenient place and quantifies and illustrates the design guidelines necessary to reduce the effects of internal charging. This handbook is intended to be an engineering tool, written for use by engineers. Much of the environmental data and material response information has been adapted from published and unpublished scientific literature for the purpose of this document. The authors would like to acknowledge the long history of scientific research from which this material has been obtained. The authors emphasize that the contents are a best effort at this time and may be subject to revision as more research is done.