The Space Environment: Implications for Spacecraft Design - Revised and Expanded Edition / Edition 1

by Alan C. Tribble

Overview

The breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia as it reentered Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, reminded the public—and NASA—of the grave risks posed to spacecraft by everything from insulating foam to space debris. Here, Alan Tribble presents a singular, up-to-date account of a wide range of less conspicuous but no less consequential environmental effects that can damage or cause poor performance of orbiting spacecraft. Conveying a wealth of insight into the nature of the space environment and how spacecraft interact with it, he covers design modifications aimed at eliminating or reducing such environmental effects as solar absorptance increases caused by self-contamination, materials erosion by atomic oxygen, electrical discharges due to spacecraft charging, degradation of electrical circuits by radiation, and bombardment by micrometeorites. This book is unique in that it bridges the gap between studies of the space environment as performed by space physicists and spacecraft design engineering as practiced by aerospace engineers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691102993
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	10/12/2003
Edition description:	Revised and Expanded
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alan C. Tribble is a rocket scientist who has spent over ten years designing dozens of spacecraft for various missions. Formerly with Boeing's Space Systems Division, he now does research and development with Rockwell Collins. His other books include the Princeton Guide to Advanced Physics and A Tribble's Guide to Space (both Princeton).

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments

Ch. 1 Introduction 1

Ch. 2 The Vacuum Environment 23

Ch. 3 The Neutral Environment 63

Ch. 4 The Plasma Environment 101

Ch. 5 The Radiation Environment 137

Ch. 6 The Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris Environment 169

Ch. 7 Conclusions 185

Appendix 1: Nomenclature 189

Appendix 2: Acronyms 191

Appendix 3: Physical Constants 193

Appendix 4: The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) 195

Index 199

Editorial Reviews

"Anyone involved in the design, production, or use of instruments in space would benefit from access to a copy of this book. It collects together . . . subject areas that are more typically dealt with by single-topic specialists, and covers these aspects of the space environment in a readable, no-nonsense style."

Observatory

"Successfully bridges the divide between the space physicists' and the spacecraft design engineers' views of the space environment. It is a much needed and timely book."—-M. J. Rycroft, Journal of Atmosphere and Terrestrial Physics

From the Publisher

"This splendid book . . .[is] both an up-to-date reference and a textbook. . . . Very readable for both technical and lay audiences."

Choice

Successfully bridges the divide between the space physicists' and the spacecraft design engineers' views of the space environment. It is a much needed and timely book.

Journal of Atmosphere and Terrestrial Physics - M. J. Rycroft

Successfully bridges the divide between the space physicists' and the spacecraft design engineers' views of the space environment. It is a much needed and timely book.

Journal of Atmosphere and Terrestrial Physics - M.J. Rycroft

Successfully bridges the divide between the space physicists' and the spacecraft design engineers' views of the space environment. It is a much needed and timely book.
— M. J. Rycroft

Journal of Atmosphere and Terrestrial Physics

This book ... successfully bridges the divide between the space physicists' and the spacecraft design engineers' views of the space environment. It is a much needed, and timely book with quite simple theoretical discussions.

Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics