Applying Contamination Modeling to Spacecraft Conventional] Propulsion System Designs and Operations

摘要

Molecular and particulate contaminants generated from the operations of a propulsion system can impinge on spacecraft critical surfaces. Plume depositions or clouds can hinder the spacecraft and instruments from per- forming normal operations. The interconnection between the functions of spacecraft contamination modeling and propulsion system implementation is presented. An innovative contamination engineering approach is addressed during a spacecraft mission, which includes concept design, manufacturing, integration and test, launch, and on-orbit operations. A summary of the implementation on several successful missions is also presented.