The rapid-charging events, which were observed by the Floating Potential Measurement Unit on the International Space Station and occurred at its eclipse exit, have attracted a lot of attention recently and are not understood thoroughly yet. Compared with the normal-charging events, which occurred on morning sector, the rapid-charging events are characteristic of rapid rise time (a few seconds) and higher amplitude () and are more dangerous. In this paper, a model for the rapid-charging events is established, with the various current collection mechanisms included and the influence of solar panel excitation taken into account. The calculation results by the model agree well with the typical flight observations. They indicate that both the solar panel switch-on pattern and the cover glass blocking effect play key roles to the features of the rapid charging.
Model for Rapid-Charging Events for the International Space Station
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets ; 51 , 1 ; 11-15
2013-07-05
5 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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