Spacecraft Charging (Hardback)

In space, satellites and spacecraft materials are vulnerable. They can become charged to tens or even thousands of volts when plasmas in the space environment interact with a spacecraft. Spacecraft Charging explains this phenomenon while exploring the effects that energetic plasma has on the space environment and the objects within it. High-voltage charging by energetic electrons and ions can negatively impact the scientific measurements onboard and threaten delicate instruments such as the telemetry and navigation systems. This guide provides an overview of the what, when, where, how, and why spacecraft charging occurs. Gaining international momentum, spacecraft charging and mitigation is an emerging field within the aerospace industry—this book will meet the needs of this growing field and serve as the premiere volume covering many key aspects of spacecraft charging.

CONCEPTS DISCUSSED include properties of spacecraft charging and the underlying physical mechanisms; causes of energetic plasmas; how to protect spacecraft entering the harsh space environment; adverse effects of electrostatic discharges on spacecraft; spacecraft charging in auroral region and deep dielectric charging by energetic electrons as causes of satellite anomalies and failures; spacecraft charging in auroral region.