Contamination Growth Observed on the Micro-Particles Capturer and Space Environment Exposure Device

摘要

Peer postretrieval observation of the three Micro-Particles Capturer and Space Environment Exposure Device units revealed the growth and distribution of external contamination. All units were remarkably contaminated. Their surfaces had turned a uniform brawn color and had numerous colored spots. The contamination conditions differed between the ram and wake faces and were affected by their respective exposure durations. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy analyses were performed to determine the atomic contents and contamination conditions. Comparison of the three units indicated how the contamination layer grew on the external surface in the low-Earth-orbit environment. Although contamination on the ram face expanded continuously at the rate of 39-18 nm/year, the contamination layer thickness observed on the wake face was very thin and remained virtually unchanged.