Surface Charging Application Tests for Geosynchronous Spacecraft

The testing of a geosynchronous spacecraft surface charging application that combines the charged particle environment (~ 1 eV to 200 keV electron and proton fluxes) of the Magnetospheric Specification Model (MSM) with algorithms from the NASCAP-2K surface charging program is described. Spacecraft frame charging (chassis potential) is determined from low energy ion data collected by the Charge Control System (CCS) on a DSCS III B- 7 spacecraft at 307° E. Longitude. Several simple descriptions of satellite geometry and materials are employed, including one which approximates features of the DSCS satellite [i.e., Mandell and Cooke, AIAA-2004-986, 42nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, Nevada, Jan. 5-8, 2004]. Preliminary tests compared modeled and observed chassis potentials for three days when observed peak charging levels ranged from -200 to -600 volts [Hilmer et al. (2005), EOS Trans. AGU, 86(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract SM41A-1169]. While the electron and proton spectra generated by the MSM proved to be suitable for the charging calculation, the MSM does not produce all of the low energy electrons (< 20 eV) usually present in geosynchronous orbit to keep spacecraft from charging positive so only negative charging is assumed. Frame charging details vary greatly with MSM input parameter selection. The charging application works best with MSM spectra generated using the input parameter set that statistically produces the best electron fluxes in the midnight-dawn local time sector where surface charging is most often observed. Comparisons in the present study will concentrate on utilizing MSM particle fluxes generated using this "best set" of the input parameters. These tests will help us refine the MSM and NASCAP-2K algorithm configurations needed to best address spacecraft surface charging.