The angular distributions of oxygen atoms incident on surfaces in low earth orbit have been calculated for a number of ambient gas temperatures. Atom fluxes to surfaces were modeled by integrals over all permitted angles of incidence. Angles of incidence are limited by masking structures, and a number of types of mask were considered. Combustible surfaces exposed to the orbital atmosphere are heavily etched, creating profiles in mask shadows that are sensitive to ambient temperatures. The influence of the angular distributions on the characteristics of etched surfaces is discussed. Profiles measured for a September, 1983 flight were fitted to this model profile with a temperature of 750 + or - 50 K, which agrees with estimates based on solar activity at that time. Applications to sensing ambient temperatures and oxygen atom densities are discussed.


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    Title :

    Velocity distributions of oxygen atoms incident on spacecraft surfaces


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    1988-02-01



    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Velocity distributions of oxygen atoms incident on spacecraft surfaces

    PETERS, P. N. / SISK, R. C. / GREGORY, J. C. | AIAA | 1988




    Spacecraft Program Schedule Length Distributions

    Conrow, E. / American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2011