DETERMINATION OF THE ENERGY LEVEL OF THE ATOMIC OXYGEN FLUX GENERATED BY THE SPACE SIMULATION APPARATUS USING A THERMAL MODELING METHOD

摘要

This study presents a thermal modeling method to characterize the energy level of the atomic oxygen flux generated by a ground-based space environment simulation system in lieu of using a relatively sophisticated retarding energy analyser instrument. It involves both theoretical and experimental work. As a case study, the method was used to characterize the energy level of the atomic oxygen produced by the Canadian Space Agency's Space Simulation Apparatus (SSA), the value of which is determined to be 0.063 eV.