The first activities of the LDCE payload series are currently manifested on STS-46 in July 1992. Sponsored by NASA s Office of Commercial Programs (OCP), the LDCE payload series is developed by the Center on Materials for Space Structures (CMSS), a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) based at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. The LDCE series will study the effects of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment on space structure materials. These activities involve three separate payload elements identified as LDCE-1, LDCE-2, and LDCE3 which utilize the Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) small cargo bay payload accommodations system, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center. The materials will be exposed for at least 40 hours to study the synergistic effects of atomic oxygen (AO), thermal cycling, ultraviolet (UV) and other aspects of LEO. After exposure and evaluation of the candidate materials, engineers will have a wider selection of materials which will be light weight and cost-effective for structures in space. This flight activity will be of direct interest to commercial spacecraft manufacturers as well as firms engaged in the development of protective coatings for spacecraft and terrestrial applications. The overall objective of this project is to provide an engineering and scientific service to those who are involved in the development of space systems and structures. By exposing candidate space structural materials to representative space environments, an analytical model of the performance of these materials in a space environment can be obtained. The enclosed Mission Operation Report contains a brief description of the STS-46 LDCE activity.
Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials Exposure (LDCE) Activities on STS-46
1992
9 pages
Report
No indication
English
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