Bruce Banks - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bruce Banks

Surfaces on the leading edge of spacecraft in low Earth orbit (e.g., surfaces facing the velocity... more Surfaces on the leading edge of spacecraft in low Earth orbit (e.g., surfaces facing the velocity direction), such as on the International Space Station, are subject to atomic oxygen attack, and certain materials are susceptible to erosion. Therefore, ground-based laboratory testing of the atomic oxygen durability of spacecraft materials is necessary for durability assessment when flight data are not available. For accurate space simulation, the facility is commonly calibrated on the basis of the mass loss of Kapton (DuPont, Wilmington, DE) as a control sample for effective fluence determination. This is because Kapton has a well-characterized atomic oxygen erosion yield (Ey, in cubic centimeters per atom) in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment.

Recovery of a charred painting using atomic oxygen treatment

Triennial meeting (12th), Lyon, …, 1999

... Author: Rutledge, Sharon K.; Banks, Bruce A.; Chilchernea, Virgil A. Title Article/Chapter: &... more ... Author: Rutledge, Sharon K.; Banks, Bruce A.; Chilchernea, Virgil A. Title Article/Chapter: "Recovery of a charred painting using atomic oxygen ... atomic oxygen treatment does appear to be a technique with great potential for allowing very charred, previously unrestorable art to be ...

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2009

The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by ex... more The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by exposing them in ground-based facilities is important because one can achieve test results sooner, expose more types of materials, and do it much more cost effectively than to test them in flight. However, flight experiments to determine the durability of groups or classes of materials that behave similarly are needed in order to provide correlations of how much time in groundbased facilities represents certain durations in LEO for the material type of interest. An experiment was designed and flown on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 2 (3.95 years in LEO) and MISSE 4 (1.04 years in LEO) in order to develop this type of correlation between ground-based RF plasma exposure and LEO exposure for coated Kapton. The experiment consisted of a sample of Kapton H ® (DuPont) polyimide coated with 1300 Angstroms of silicon dioxide by Sheldahl Inc. The samples were exposed to atomic oxygen in a radio frequency (RF) generated atomic oxygen plasma. Mass change was measured for the samples and then the same samples were exposed in flight on MISSE and the mass change was again recorded post-flight. After documentation, the samples were exposed again in the groundbased RF plasma in order to determine if the erosion would be the same as it had been in the same facility pre-flight which would indicate whether or not the sample had been damaged during flight and if the defects on the surface were those that were there pre-flight. The slopes of the mass change versus fluence plots were then used to develop a correlation factor that can be used to help predict the durability of coated Kapton in ground-based isotropic atomic oxygen plasma systems. This paper describes the experiment and presents the correlation factor results.

Protective coating and hyperthermal atomic oxygen texturing of optical fibers used for blood glucose monitoring

45th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 2007

Space Exploration include conducting research to counteract the harmful effects of space on human... more Space Exploration include conducting research to counteract the harmful effects of space on human health, test new space technologies, and learn to operate long-duration space missions. In pursuit of these objectives, NASA is interested in closer cooperation between the ISS operational community, scientists, and engineers. To develop the exploration vehicles for missions to the moon and Mars, NASA must test materials, foods, and medicines to ensure their performance in the space environment. These results will enable important decisions on the materials to be used for future space vehicles. Another critical factor for the success on future missions beyond Earth orbit is the capability for repairs of equipment. On the ISS, the practice of crewmembers performing repairs in microgravity will increase our understanding of the repair processes in space; when these capabilities are needed during future space exploration missions, we will have the knowledge and experience to perform them. The ISS is a unique and irreplaceable training ground for building the operational knowledge required to safely conduct future exploration missions, and the growing links within the science, engineering and operations communities are reinforcing the value of that training. Current interactions between the communities that support the ISS have already produced many synergies that are significantly accelerating NASA's advancement towards future exploration missions in support of the Vision.

A universal docking and berthing system is being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space ... more A universal docking and berthing system is being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to support all future space exploration missions to low-Earth orbit (LEO), to the Moon, and to Mars. The Low Impact Docking System (LIDS) is being designed to operate using a seal-on-seal configuration in numerous space environments, each having unique exposures to temperature, solar radiation, reactive elements, debris, and mission duration. As the LIDS seal is likely to be manufactured from an elastomeric material, performance evaluation of elastomers after exposure to atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) was conducted, of which the work presented herein was a part. Each of the three candidate silicone elastomer compounds investigated, including Esterline ELA-SA-401, and Parker Hannifin S0383-70 and S0899-50, was characterized as a low outgassing compound, per ASTM E595, having percent total mass loss (TML) less than 1.0% and collected volatile condensable materials (CVCM) less than 0.1%. Each compound was compatible with the LIDS operating environment of -50 to 50°C. The seal characteristics presented include compression set, elastomer-to-elastomer adhesion, and o-ring leakage rate. The ELA-SA-401 compound had the lowest variation in compression set with temperature. The S0383-70 compound exhibited the lowest compression set after exposure to AO and UV. The adhesion for all of the compounds was significantly reduced after exposure to AO and was further decreased after exposure to AO and UV. The leakage rates of o-ring specimens showed modest increases after exposure to AO. The leakage rates after exposure to AO and UV were increased by factors of up to 600 when compared to specimens in the as-received condition. 2 Nomenclature AO = atomic oxygen APAS = Androgynous Peripheral Assembly System CBM = Common Berthing Mechanism CEV = Crew Exploration Vehicle CVCM = collected volatile condensable materials ESH = equivalent sun hours ISS = International Space Station LEO = low-Earth orbit LIDS = Low Impact Docking System LVDT = linear variable displacement transformer NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration NUV = near ultraviolet radiation RTD = resistance temperature detector TML = total mass loss UV = ultraviolet radiation VUV = vacuum ultraviolet radiation

Low Earth orbital (LEO) atomic oxygen cannot only erode the external surfaces of polymers on spac... more Low Earth orbital (LEO) atomic oxygen cannot only erode the external surfaces of polymers on spacecraft, but can cause degradation of surfaces internal to components on the spacecraft where openings to the space environment exist. Although atomic oxygen attack on internal or interior surfaces may not have direct exposure to the LEO atomic oxygen flux, scattered impingement can have can have serious degradation effects where sensitive interior surfaces are present. The effects of atomic oxygen erosion of polymers interior to an aperture on a spacecraft is simulated using Monte Carlo computational techniques. A 2-dimensional model is used to provide quantitative indications of the attenuation of atomic oxygen flux as a function of distance into a parallel walled cavity. The degree of erosion relative is compared between the various interior locations and the external surface of an LEO spacecraft.

Rural nonfarm income in developing countries: importance and policy implications

Modeling of Transmittance Degradation Caused by Optical Surface Contamination by Atomic Oxygen Reaction With Adsorbed Silicones

A numerical procedure is presented to calculate transmittance degradation caused by contaminant f... more A numerical procedure is presented to calculate transmittance degradation caused by contaminant films on spacecraft surfaces produced through the interaction of orbital atomic oxygen (AO) with volatile silicones and hydrocarbons from spacecraft components. In the model, contaminant accretion is dependent on the adsorption of species, depletion reactions due to gas-surface collisions, desorption, and surface reactions between AO and silicon producing

An Investigation of Stress Dependent Atomic Oxygen Erosion of Black Kapton Observed on MISSE 6

Protection of Space Materials from the Space Environment, 2001

During the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) second servicing mission (SM2), astronauts noticed that t... more During the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) second servicing mission (SM2), astronauts noticed that the multi-layer insulation (MLI) covering the telescope was damaged. Large pieces of the outer layer of MLI (aluminized Teflon ® fluorinated ethylene propylene (Al-FEP)) were cracked in several locations around the telescope. A piece of curled up Al-FEP was retrieved by the astronauts and was found to be severely embrittled, as witnessed by ground testing. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) organized a HST MLI Failure Review Board (FRB) to determine the damage mechanism of the Al-FEP in the HST environment, and to recommend a replacement thermal control outer layer material to be installed on HST during the subsequent servicing missions. Candidate thermal control replacement materials were chosen by the FRB and tested for environmental durability under various exposures and durations by GSFC and NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC). This paper describes durability testing at LeRC of candidate materials which were exposed to charged particle radiation, simulated solar flare x-ray radiation and thermal cycling under load. Samples were evaluated for changes in solar absorptance and tear resistance. Descriptions of environmental exposures and durability evaluations of these materials are presented.

Energetic atomic and ionic oxygen textured optical surfaces for blood glucose monitoring

Ground Laboratory Soft X-Ray Durability Evaluation of Aluminized Teflon FEP Thermal Control Insulation

Page 1. Bruce A. Banks and Kim K. de Groh Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio Thomas J. Stuebe... more Page 1. Bruce A. Banks and Kim K. de Groh Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio Thomas J. Stueber and Edward A. Sechkar NYMA, Inc., Brook Park, Ohio Rachelle L. Hall Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, Ohio Ground Laboratory Soft X-Ray Durability ...

Simulation of low Earth orbit atomic oxygen for accelerated exposure in ground-based facilities i... more Simulation of low Earth orbit atomic oxygen for accelerated exposure in ground-based facilities is necessary for the durability evaluation of space power system component materials for Space Station Freedom (SSF) and future missions. A facility developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lewis Research Center provides accelerated rates of exposure to a directed or scattered oxygen beam, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation, and offers in-situ optical characterization. The facility utilizes an electron-cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source to generate a low energy oxygen beam. Total hemispherical spectral reflectance of samples can be measured in situ over the wavelength range of 250 to 2500 rum. Deuterium lamps provide VUV radiation intensity levels in the 115 to 200 am range of three to five equivalent suns. Retarding potential analyses show distributed ion energies below 30 electron volts (eV) for the operating conditions most suited for high flux, low energy testing. Peak ion energies are below the sputter threshold energy (--30 eV) of the protective coatings on polymers that are evaluated in the facility, thus allowing long duration exposure without sputter erosion. Neutral species are expected to be at thermal energies of approximately .04 eV to .1 eV. The maximum effective flux level based on polyimide Kapton mass loss is 4.4x1016 atoms/cm z. s, thus providing a highly accelerated testing capability.

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2009

The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by ex... more The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by exposing them in ground-based facilities is important because one can achieve test results sooner, expose more types of materials, and do it much more cost effectively than to test them in flight. However, flight experiments to determine the durability of groups or classes of materials that behave similarly are needed in order to provide correlations of how much time in groundbased facilities represents certain durations in LEO for the material type of interest. An experiment was designed and flown on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 2 (3.95 years in LEO) and MISSE 4 (1.04 years in LEO) in order to develop this type of correlation between ground-based RF plasma exposure and LEO exposure for coated Kapton. The experiment consisted of a sample of Kapton H ® (DuPont) polyimide coated with 1300 Angstroms of silicon dioxide by Sheldahl Inc. The samples were exposed to atomic oxygen in a radio frequency (RF) generated atomic oxygen plasma. Mass change was measured for the samples and then the same samples were exposed in flight on MISSE and the mass change was again recorded post-flight. After documentation, the samples were exposed again in the groundbased RF plasma in order to determine if the erosion would be the same as it had been in the same facility pre-flight which would indicate whether or not the sample had been damaged during flight and if the defects on the surface were those that were there pre-flight. The slopes of the mass change versus fluence plots were then used to develop a correlation factor that can be used to help predict the durability of coated Kapton in ground-based isotropic atomic oxygen plasma systems. This paper describes the experiment and presents the correlation factor results.

Journal of the American Institute For Conservation, Jul 18, 2013

A noncontact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen, generated under low pressure in the ... more A noncontact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen, generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen, to remove soot and charred varnish from the surface of a painting. The process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface material removed. The effectiveness of the process was evaluated by reflectance measurements from selected areas made during the removal of soot from acrylic gesso, ink on paper, and varnished oil paint substrates. For the latter substrate, treatment also involved the removal of damaged varnish and paint binder from the surface. This publication is available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, (301) 621-0390.

Surfaces on the leading edge of spacecraft in low Earth orbit (e.g., surfaces facing the velocity... more Surfaces on the leading edge of spacecraft in low Earth orbit (e.g., surfaces facing the velocity direction), such as on the International Space Station, are subject to atomic oxygen attack, and certain materials are susceptible to erosion. Therefore, ground-based laboratory testing of the atomic oxygen durability of spacecraft materials is necessary for durability assessment when flight data are not available. For accurate space simulation, the facility is commonly calibrated on the basis of the mass loss of Kapton (DuPont, Wilmington, DE) as a control sample for effective fluence determination. This is because Kapton has a well-characterized atomic oxygen erosion yield (Ey, in cubic centimeters per atom) in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment.

Recovery of a charred painting using atomic oxygen treatment

Triennial meeting (12th), Lyon, …, 1999

... Author: Rutledge, Sharon K.; Banks, Bruce A.; Chilchernea, Virgil A. Title Article/Chapter: &... more ... Author: Rutledge, Sharon K.; Banks, Bruce A.; Chilchernea, Virgil A. Title Article/Chapter: "Recovery of a charred painting using atomic oxygen ... atomic oxygen treatment does appear to be a technique with great potential for allowing very charred, previously unrestorable art to be ...

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2009

The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by ex... more The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by exposing them in ground-based facilities is important because one can achieve test results sooner, expose more types of materials, and do it much more cost effectively than to test them in flight. However, flight experiments to determine the durability of groups or classes of materials that behave similarly are needed in order to provide correlations of how much time in groundbased facilities represents certain durations in LEO for the material type of interest. An experiment was designed and flown on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 2 (3.95 years in LEO) and MISSE 4 (1.04 years in LEO) in order to develop this type of correlation between ground-based RF plasma exposure and LEO exposure for coated Kapton. The experiment consisted of a sample of Kapton H ® (DuPont) polyimide coated with 1300 Angstroms of silicon dioxide by Sheldahl Inc. The samples were exposed to atomic oxygen in a radio frequency (RF) generated atomic oxygen plasma. Mass change was measured for the samples and then the same samples were exposed in flight on MISSE and the mass change was again recorded post-flight. After documentation, the samples were exposed again in the groundbased RF plasma in order to determine if the erosion would be the same as it had been in the same facility pre-flight which would indicate whether or not the sample had been damaged during flight and if the defects on the surface were those that were there pre-flight. The slopes of the mass change versus fluence plots were then used to develop a correlation factor that can be used to help predict the durability of coated Kapton in ground-based isotropic atomic oxygen plasma systems. This paper describes the experiment and presents the correlation factor results.

Protective coating and hyperthermal atomic oxygen texturing of optical fibers used for blood glucose monitoring

45th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 2007

Space Exploration include conducting research to counteract the harmful effects of space on human... more Space Exploration include conducting research to counteract the harmful effects of space on human health, test new space technologies, and learn to operate long-duration space missions. In pursuit of these objectives, NASA is interested in closer cooperation between the ISS operational community, scientists, and engineers. To develop the exploration vehicles for missions to the moon and Mars, NASA must test materials, foods, and medicines to ensure their performance in the space environment. These results will enable important decisions on the materials to be used for future space vehicles. Another critical factor for the success on future missions beyond Earth orbit is the capability for repairs of equipment. On the ISS, the practice of crewmembers performing repairs in microgravity will increase our understanding of the repair processes in space; when these capabilities are needed during future space exploration missions, we will have the knowledge and experience to perform them. The ISS is a unique and irreplaceable training ground for building the operational knowledge required to safely conduct future exploration missions, and the growing links within the science, engineering and operations communities are reinforcing the value of that training. Current interactions between the communities that support the ISS have already produced many synergies that are significantly accelerating NASA's advancement towards future exploration missions in support of the Vision.

A universal docking and berthing system is being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space ... more A universal docking and berthing system is being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to support all future space exploration missions to low-Earth orbit (LEO), to the Moon, and to Mars. The Low Impact Docking System (LIDS) is being designed to operate using a seal-on-seal configuration in numerous space environments, each having unique exposures to temperature, solar radiation, reactive elements, debris, and mission duration. As the LIDS seal is likely to be manufactured from an elastomeric material, performance evaluation of elastomers after exposure to atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) was conducted, of which the work presented herein was a part. Each of the three candidate silicone elastomer compounds investigated, including Esterline ELA-SA-401, and Parker Hannifin S0383-70 and S0899-50, was characterized as a low outgassing compound, per ASTM E595, having percent total mass loss (TML) less than 1.0% and collected volatile condensable materials (CVCM) less than 0.1%. Each compound was compatible with the LIDS operating environment of -50 to 50°C. The seal characteristics presented include compression set, elastomer-to-elastomer adhesion, and o-ring leakage rate. The ELA-SA-401 compound had the lowest variation in compression set with temperature. The S0383-70 compound exhibited the lowest compression set after exposure to AO and UV. The adhesion for all of the compounds was significantly reduced after exposure to AO and was further decreased after exposure to AO and UV. The leakage rates of o-ring specimens showed modest increases after exposure to AO. The leakage rates after exposure to AO and UV were increased by factors of up to 600 when compared to specimens in the as-received condition. 2 Nomenclature AO = atomic oxygen APAS = Androgynous Peripheral Assembly System CBM = Common Berthing Mechanism CEV = Crew Exploration Vehicle CVCM = collected volatile condensable materials ESH = equivalent sun hours ISS = International Space Station LEO = low-Earth orbit LIDS = Low Impact Docking System LVDT = linear variable displacement transformer NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration NUV = near ultraviolet radiation RTD = resistance temperature detector TML = total mass loss UV = ultraviolet radiation VUV = vacuum ultraviolet radiation

Low Earth orbital (LEO) atomic oxygen cannot only erode the external surfaces of polymers on spac... more Low Earth orbital (LEO) atomic oxygen cannot only erode the external surfaces of polymers on spacecraft, but can cause degradation of surfaces internal to components on the spacecraft where openings to the space environment exist. Although atomic oxygen attack on internal or interior surfaces may not have direct exposure to the LEO atomic oxygen flux, scattered impingement can have can have serious degradation effects where sensitive interior surfaces are present. The effects of atomic oxygen erosion of polymers interior to an aperture on a spacecraft is simulated using Monte Carlo computational techniques. A 2-dimensional model is used to provide quantitative indications of the attenuation of atomic oxygen flux as a function of distance into a parallel walled cavity. The degree of erosion relative is compared between the various interior locations and the external surface of an LEO spacecraft.

Rural nonfarm income in developing countries: importance and policy implications

Modeling of Transmittance Degradation Caused by Optical Surface Contamination by Atomic Oxygen Reaction With Adsorbed Silicones

A numerical procedure is presented to calculate transmittance degradation caused by contaminant f... more A numerical procedure is presented to calculate transmittance degradation caused by contaminant films on spacecraft surfaces produced through the interaction of orbital atomic oxygen (AO) with volatile silicones and hydrocarbons from spacecraft components. In the model, contaminant accretion is dependent on the adsorption of species, depletion reactions due to gas-surface collisions, desorption, and surface reactions between AO and silicon producing

An Investigation of Stress Dependent Atomic Oxygen Erosion of Black Kapton Observed on MISSE 6

Protection of Space Materials from the Space Environment, 2001

During the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) second servicing mission (SM2), astronauts noticed that t... more During the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) second servicing mission (SM2), astronauts noticed that the multi-layer insulation (MLI) covering the telescope was damaged. Large pieces of the outer layer of MLI (aluminized Teflon ® fluorinated ethylene propylene (Al-FEP)) were cracked in several locations around the telescope. A piece of curled up Al-FEP was retrieved by the astronauts and was found to be severely embrittled, as witnessed by ground testing. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) organized a HST MLI Failure Review Board (FRB) to determine the damage mechanism of the Al-FEP in the HST environment, and to recommend a replacement thermal control outer layer material to be installed on HST during the subsequent servicing missions. Candidate thermal control replacement materials were chosen by the FRB and tested for environmental durability under various exposures and durations by GSFC and NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC). This paper describes durability testing at LeRC of candidate materials which were exposed to charged particle radiation, simulated solar flare x-ray radiation and thermal cycling under load. Samples were evaluated for changes in solar absorptance and tear resistance. Descriptions of environmental exposures and durability evaluations of these materials are presented.

Energetic atomic and ionic oxygen textured optical surfaces for blood glucose monitoring

Ground Laboratory Soft X-Ray Durability Evaluation of Aluminized Teflon FEP Thermal Control Insulation

Page 1. Bruce A. Banks and Kim K. de Groh Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio Thomas J. Stuebe... more Page 1. Bruce A. Banks and Kim K. de Groh Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio Thomas J. Stueber and Edward A. Sechkar NYMA, Inc., Brook Park, Ohio Rachelle L. Hall Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, Ohio Ground Laboratory Soft X-Ray Durability ...

Simulation of low Earth orbit atomic oxygen for accelerated exposure in ground-based facilities i... more Simulation of low Earth orbit atomic oxygen for accelerated exposure in ground-based facilities is necessary for the durability evaluation of space power system component materials for Space Station Freedom (SSF) and future missions. A facility developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lewis Research Center provides accelerated rates of exposure to a directed or scattered oxygen beam, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation, and offers in-situ optical characterization. The facility utilizes an electron-cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source to generate a low energy oxygen beam. Total hemispherical spectral reflectance of samples can be measured in situ over the wavelength range of 250 to 2500 rum. Deuterium lamps provide VUV radiation intensity levels in the 115 to 200 am range of three to five equivalent suns. Retarding potential analyses show distributed ion energies below 30 electron volts (eV) for the operating conditions most suited for high flux, low energy testing. Peak ion energies are below the sputter threshold energy (--30 eV) of the protective coatings on polymers that are evaluated in the facility, thus allowing long duration exposure without sputter erosion. Neutral species are expected to be at thermal energies of approximately .04 eV to .1 eV. The maximum effective flux level based on polyimide Kapton mass loss is 4.4x1016 atoms/cm z. s, thus providing a highly accelerated testing capability.

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2009

The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by ex... more The ability to predict the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment by exposing them in ground-based facilities is important because one can achieve test results sooner, expose more types of materials, and do it much more cost effectively than to test them in flight. However, flight experiments to determine the durability of groups or classes of materials that behave similarly are needed in order to provide correlations of how much time in groundbased facilities represents certain durations in LEO for the material type of interest. An experiment was designed and flown on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 2 (3.95 years in LEO) and MISSE 4 (1.04 years in LEO) in order to develop this type of correlation between ground-based RF plasma exposure and LEO exposure for coated Kapton. The experiment consisted of a sample of Kapton H ® (DuPont) polyimide coated with 1300 Angstroms of silicon dioxide by Sheldahl Inc. The samples were exposed to atomic oxygen in a radio frequency (RF) generated atomic oxygen plasma. Mass change was measured for the samples and then the same samples were exposed in flight on MISSE and the mass change was again recorded post-flight. After documentation, the samples were exposed again in the groundbased RF plasma in order to determine if the erosion would be the same as it had been in the same facility pre-flight which would indicate whether or not the sample had been damaged during flight and if the defects on the surface were those that were there pre-flight. The slopes of the mass change versus fluence plots were then used to develop a correlation factor that can be used to help predict the durability of coated Kapton in ground-based isotropic atomic oxygen plasma systems. This paper describes the experiment and presents the correlation factor results.

Journal of the American Institute For Conservation, Jul 18, 2013

A noncontact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen, generated under low pressure in the ... more A noncontact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen, generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen, to remove soot and charred varnish from the surface of a painting. The process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface material removed. The effectiveness of the process was evaluated by reflectance measurements from selected areas made during the removal of soot from acrylic gesso, ink on paper, and varnished oil paint substrates. For the latter substrate, treatment also involved the removal of damaged varnish and paint binder from the surface. This publication is available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, (301) 621-0390.