Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Muscari, J. A..
Outgassing reduced in some but not all nonmetallic materials. Eleven polymeric materials tested by determining outgassing species as temperature of conditioned and unconditioned materials raised to 300 degrees C. Conditioning process consisted of vacuum bake for 24 hours at 80 degrees C in addition to usual cure. Baking did not change residual gas percentage of water molecules.
An extensive laboratory test program was performed to characterize outgassing of five satellite materials. The materials were Chemglaze Z-306 over 9922 primer, M-773 adhesive, multilayer insulation, polyurethane foam, and silverized Teflon. The souces were prepared to the specifications of a typical satellite program. Dynamic thermogravimetric mass loss characteristics of these five materials were obtained in vacuum with a beam microbalance. The temperature of the material was linearly raised from 25 C to over 650 C while monitoring the mass loss, rate of mass loss, temperature, and the composition of the outgassed material by residual gas analysis. Isothermal source emission/capture coefficients/reemission parameters were obtained with an array of quartz crystal microbalances (QCM). A detailed test matrix in which the temperatures of the QCMs (-160 C, - 100 C, -40 C, and +10 C) and the source material (125 C, and 90 C, and 50 C) were varied was performed. The array of QCMs was also used to measure the spatial distribution of the source emission. The effects of vacuum ultraviolet radiation on the deposition and reemission parameters was determined.
The weight loss of twenty different typical Shuttle materials was measured with a thermogravimetric analyzer as the material temperature was increased from ambient to 300 C. An additional ten tests were performed where conditioning of the material varied. The materials were selected from each general grouping such as adhesives, coatings, lubricants, encapsulants, elastomers, and resins. Care was taken in the preparation, curing, and preconditioning of the materials to simulate flight use. Making the assumption that the weight loss follows first order rate theory, the source outgassing parameters for these thirty materials is presented.
In order to develop a data base for potential optical degradation of space vacuum ultraviolet instruments, the collected volatile condensed material (CVCM) transmittance was measured in the wavelength region from 115 nm to 300 nm. The parent outgassing materials included: the adhesives, Ablebond 36-2, Trabond BB-2116, EA-9309, and Scotchweld 2216; the paints, Chemglaze Z-306, Z-306 over 9922 primer, Z-306 over AP-131 primer, Cat-A-Lac 463-3-8, 463-3-8 over primer, 3M Nextel 401-C10, and 401-C10 over 901-P1 primer; the resins, Fiberite 934, Solithane 113/C113-300 Formulation no. 1, and 113/C113-300 Formulation no. 8; the lubricants, Lube-Lok 4306 and RT/Duroid 5813; and the double-sided adhesive tape 3M-415. The effect of thermal vacuum conditioning of selected materials was also studied. The transmittance measurements were used to calculate the absorption coefficient for each of 28 different source materials versus wavelength.
In order to impose adequate contamination control requirements in the selection of Wide Field Planetary Camera (WFPC) materials and to develop a data base of potential optical degradation of the WFPC charge-couple device window, the outgassing properties of WFPC materials and the collected volatile condensed material (CVCM) effects on MgF2 transmittance were measured. Changes in the transmittance were monitored in the wavelength region from 115 nm to 300 nm for selected CVCM thicknesses up to 150 nm. The outgassing properties of reemitted CVCM were also studied.
Changes in the solar absorptance of silver-Teflon (Ag/FEP) surfaces were measured after contamination by the outgassing products of hydraulic fluid and irradiation by solar simulators. Although radiator surfaces are selected for stability to the solar ultraviolet and particulate environment, contaminant deposition and their interaction with solar exposure can degrade their performance. The test procedure to deposit the hydraulic fluid collected volatile condensible material (CVCM), irradiate, and determine solar absorptance changes by reflectance measurements using a spectrophotometer and a solar simulator is described. The tests showed that for the estimated deposition rates on the Ag/FEP, the hydraulic fluid CVCM fraction remaining under normal conditions (above -40 C) would not degrade its performance. The residual CVCM can be easily removed from Ag/FEP by wiping with a solvent saturated flannel. The changes in solar absorptance with the CVCM film thickness and the radiation exposure duration are reported, concluding that vacuum ultraviolet radiation did not prevent easy removal of CVCM.
Silver-Teflon (Ag/FEP) is planned to be used as the thermal control material covering the radiator surfaces on the shuttle orbiter payload bay doors. These radiators require the use of materials that have a very low solar absorptance and a high emittance for heat rejection. However, operationally, materials used on these critical radiator surfaces, such as silver-Teflon, will be exposed to a variety of conditions which include both the natural as well as the induced environments from the Shuttle Orbiter. A complete test facility was assembled, and detailed test procedures and a test matrix were developed. Measurements of low solar absorptance were taken before and after contamination, at intervals during irradiation, and after sample cleaning to fulfill all the requirements.
Final results from a part of the T027 experiment performed on the first Skylab mission are presented. The sample array system containing 248 optical surfaces and exposed outside the orbital workshop did not collect any significant contaminants. Unfortunate performance compromises and the relative cleanliness of the assembly on the antisolar side placed the amount of available surface contaminants at or below the limiting sensitivity of the ground measuring instruments. Significant contamination was seen near the extravehicular hatch quadrant on the solar side of the orbiting assembly, and some results from returned samples are presented. Optical windows and mirrors exposed on the Gemini 12 mission showed degradation up to 35% in the UV wavelength region and solar absorptance increases up to 1.8 times the clean values. An expression for the attenuation coefficient vs wavelength is presented. The contaminant, a silicone base material, varied in thickness from 22 nm to 88 nm. The postflight scattered luminance of a contaminated Gemini 12 left-hand spacecraft hatch window was used to obtain threshold stellar visibility curves as a function of scattered and incident sunlight angles.
Analysis of calibration tests for the Skylab experimental T027 photometer is used to show that if an instrument is focused at infinity, the uniform extended calibration source should be positioned at distances at least equal to the hyperfocal distance and should be large enough to fill the field of view. It is noted that the field depth can be increased by focusing the optical system at the hyperfocal distance and that this method of focusing reduces the needed diameter of the calibration source to half that of a system focused at infinity. Other calibration methods discussed includes determining the radiance responsivity distance and extrapolating the curve to larger distances as well as extensive mapping of the spatial response combined with the irradiance responsivity to obtain the radiance responsivity.
The objective of the TO27 sample array was to determine the change in optical properties of various transmissive windows, mirrors, and diffraction gratings caused by the deposition of contaminants found about the orbital assembly. The expected information to be obtained from the total TO27 sample array program is as follows: (1) effect of space contaminants on transmittance, reflectance, grating efficiency, and polarization; (2) variations in deposition of contaminants due to substrate, solar radiation, period of exposure, direction of exposure, and geometry effects; (3) identification of contaminants and source of evolution; (4) time of contaminant evolution and lingering time; and (5) guidelines for a model of spacecraft contamination.
Current results from the TO27 experiment which was performed on the first two Skylab missions are presented. The purpose of the experiment was to determine the change in optical properties of various transmissive windows, mirrors, and diffraction gratings caused by the deposition of contaminants found about the orbital assembly and to measure the sky brightness background caused by solar illumination of particulate contaminants. The sample array system containing 248 optical surfaces and exposed outside the orbital workshop did not collect any significant contaminants. Only trace amounts of surface deposited contaminants have been seen, in all cases the measurement was near the limiting sensitivity of the instrument. Unfortunate performance compromises and the relative cleanliness of the assembly on the anti-solar side appeared to place the amount of available surface contaminants near the limiting sensitivity of the sample array. Mass spectroscopy on the trace contaminants show the presence of high molecular weight species, up to 773 amu. The data suggests the presence of condensed aromatics.