Exospheric Cleaning Of The Earth Radiation Budget Solar Radiometer During Solar Maximum

R. E. Predmore; H. Jacobowitz; J. R. Hickey

doi:10.1117/12.933643

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12 April 1983 Exospheric Cleaning Of The Earth Radiation Budget Solar Radiometer During Solar Maximum

R. E. Predmore, H. Jacobowitz, J. R. Hickey

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Proceedings Volume 0338, Spacecraft Contamination Environment; (1983) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.933643
Event: 1982 Technical Symposium East, 1982, Arlington, United States

Abstract

Simultaneous degradation of the infrared Earth Sensor Assemblies (ESA) on TIROS-N and Defense Meteorological Satellites, and cleanup or recovery of the ultraviolet channels in the Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) instruments on Nimbus satellites, have been observed. The simultaneous radiometric variations which occurred in the radiometer channels facing the spacecraft velocity direction started during a period of rapidly increasing solar activity. Mechanisms causing the optical degradation and cleanup of ESA and ERB channels were compared. These included radiation damage caused by charged particles, self contamination, exospheric reactions and micrometeoroids. Results of studies show that the presence of both atomic oxygen and oxygen ions of the 0I-type at satellite altitudes were the principal cause of the radiometric variations. Concentrations of these particles have been observed to increase with solar activity. The flux of this relatively static and reactive gas impinging on the front surfaces of the high speed spacecraft apparently cleaned the organic contaminant film off the ERB solar channels. This is similar to the way that ozone cleans organic contaminant films during optics manufacturing.

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R. E. Predmore, H. Jacobowitz, and J. R. Hickey "Exospheric Cleaning Of The Earth Radiation Budget Solar Radiometer During Solar Maximum", Proc. SPIE 0338, Spacecraft Contamination Environment, (12 April 1983); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.933643

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