Abstract:
The interaction between the atomic oxygen in the low-Earth orbit and the spacecraft surface materials may degradate the material properties due to the oxidation and the erosion effect. In this paper, with a model of the space long-life self-floating electrical connector, the atomic oxygen erosion is simulated, with the erosion rate of the material obtained from the ground simulation test, to determine the atomic oxygen erosion thickness distributions on the surface of the rectangular connector. The ground validation test shows that after the atomic oxygen irradiation with a fluence of 7.83×10
22 cm
-2, the insulation resistance of the electrical connector is more than 1×10
5 GΩ at room temperature, well satisfying the technical requirements. This research provides a reference for the design and the life time prediction of the electrical connector for the space station use.