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Article
Experimental Investigations of Dusty Spacecraft Charging at the Lunar Terminator
Proceedings of the AIAA SPACE 2015 Conference and Exposition (2015, Pasadena, CA)
  • Kevin Chou
  • William Yu
  • Daoru Frank Han, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Joseph J. Wang
Abstract

An experimental investigation is conducted to understand the I-V characteristics and floating potential of a surface covered by varying amounts of dust in a plasma environment similar to that at the lunar terminator. I-V curves are measured to determine dust coverage effects on surface charging, and a non-contacting electrostatic voltmeter is used to measure dust surface charging. Results show that as dust coverage increases, the electric field created between the dust surface layer and conducting surface layer increases the possibility of arcing and breakdown.

Meeting Name
AIAA SPACE 2015 Conference and Exposition (2015: Aug. 31-Sep. 2, Pasadena, CA)
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
  • Dust,
  • Electric fields,
  • Plasma devices,
  • Plasma flow,
  • Plasma jets,
  • Spacecraft,
  • Surface charge,
  • Voltmeters,
  • Conducting surfaces,
  • Electrostatic voltmeter,
  • Numerical investigations,
  • Particle-in-cell code,
  • Plasma parameter,
  • Spacecraft charging,
  • Surface charging,
  • University of Southern California,
  • Plasma diagnostics
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-1-62410-334-6
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Accepted Manuscript
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2015 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
9-1-2015
Publication Date
01 Sep 2015
Disciplines
Citation Information
Kevin Chou, William Yu, Daoru Frank Han and Joseph J. Wang. "Experimental Investigations of Dusty Spacecraft Charging at the Lunar Terminator" Proceedings of the AIAA SPACE 2015 Conference and Exposition (2015, Pasadena, CA) (2015)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/daoru-han/7/