Spacecraft Dielectric Material Properties and Spacecraft Charging

The purpose of this work is to bring together the disciplines of spacecraft charging, polymer chemistry, and radiation effects so that satellite designers can choose dielectrics, especially polymers, that avoid charging problems. The approach was to: determine that charging problems are primarily eliminated by using "slightly conductive" insulators or dielectrics, review the state-of-the-art concerning conductivity in polymers, suggest promising conductive polymer candidates whose properties allow for space application, and indicate by example and by reference to the literature how the conductivity and radiation hardness of dielectrics in general can be tested. This book will serve as a starting reference for those who choose and test materials for spacecraft or who formulate new materials for future spacecraft.