Failures and Anomalies Attributed to Spacecraft Charging

PREFACEThe effects of the natural space environments on spacecraft design, development, and opera-tion are the topic of a series of NASA reference publications currently being developed by the Elec-tromagnetics and Environments Branch, System Analysis and Integration Laboratory, MarshallSpace Flight Center.This reference publication, third in the series, presents a brief overview of spacecraft charg-ing, acquaints the reader with spacecraft charging history via illustrative cases of anomalies andfailures due to spacecraft charging, and introduces current spacecraft charging prevention activities ofthe Electromagnetics and Environments Branch.Despite 25 years of study and research into spacecraft charging, occurrences continue tojeopardize space missions. Engineers and managers involved in planning, designing, and operatingspace missions should be aware of and concerned with the possible consequences of charging totheir programs.iii

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