Physics (Internal)

Modeling Atomic Oxygen Exposure on the Van Allen Probes Mission

This event is part of the Graduate Student Council Events.

Part of the Student Seminar Series. A recording will be posted on the event page.

Abstract: The Van Allen Probes Mission consisted of two identical spacecraft flying in highly elliptical orbits about the Earth, with the goal of exploring the dynamics of Earth’s radiation belts. During the low altitude periods of the orbit, the spacecraft were immersed in a region of high-density atomic Oxygen, which is known to degrade and change the properties of spacecraft surfaces. In this project, we modeled the atomic Oxygen fluence over the course of the mission to help illuminate the observed degradation of the Electric Field and Waves instrument aboard the spacecraft. The goal was to provide insight into what had happened and to help prevent similar exposures on future long-duration missions.