NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, Virginia

Materials

	Langley Home Page
	Space Environments &Technology Archive System Home Page
	Space Environments &Effects Home Page
	NASA Home Page

If you would like to receive further information on SETAS, or have suggestions on what information you would like to see accessible through this archive, please fill out the SETAS request form. SETAS Request Information

Responsible Parties: Page Content: William H. Kinard Page Construction: Thomas H. See

Summary of LDEF Contibutions

Knowledge gained from LDEF research on materials and coatings has led to the following conclusions applicable to spacecraft design:

• The LEO space environment is hostile to spacecraft materials and coatings.
• Synergistic effects of all aspects of the low-Earth orbit environment must be considered; this includes both the natural environments and the spacecraft induced environments.
• Contamination should be a very significant consideration in spacecraft designs.
• The pre-LDEF knowledge of space environmental effects on materials had major flaws.
• LDEF knowledge has forced the revision of environment-related test and qualification procedures.

Some examples of the influence of LDEF data on spacecraft designs include:

• The International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) radiator design was changed from the use of second-surface silvered Teflon^® to the use of Z-93 ceramic paint because silvered Teflon on LDEF showed substantial deteoriation due to atomic oxygen, and Z-93 paint samples on LDEF were observed to be very stable in the same environment.
• Kapton is no longer used as a substrate for flexible solar arrays when high atomic oxygen fluence is expected. This is due to the erosion of Kapton observed on LDEF.
• Dacron thread is no longer used to sew spacecraft multi-layer insulation (MLI) together, since atomic oxygen was noted to destroy dacron threads of LDEF MLI.

LDEF Archive System Home Page