Spacecraft Interaction with Space Plasmas

Spacecraft interacts with space plasmas. High-voltage charging of spacecraft affect scientific measurements onboard and may terminate the spacecraft mission. Our objective is to improve understanding of the many aspects of spacecraft charging. It is important to identify possible scenarios of spacecraft charging in the planning stage of space experiments and to provide physical interpretation to the spacecraft charging effects in the data analysis stage of the experimental results. Mitigation of spacecraft charging is important, especially at MIT where innovation is always a main theme.

The basic approach is to better understand the physics of spacecraft charging with space plasmas. The physics is applied to specific systems relevant to space propulsion and spacecraft interacting with space plasmas. When data become available, one analyses the driving factors and the correlating responses in the dynamical behavior of the data. Changing spacecraft charging level controls the behavior of the data. Abrupt changes in the charging level imply arcing which can be destructive. For mitigation, one endeavors to bring forth original ideas and to do rigorous calculations quantitatively for assessing the feasibility and possible beneficial consequences.