Fiber optic cable assemblies for space flight II: thermal and radiation effects

Goddard Space Flight Center is conducting a search for space flight worthy fiber optic cable assemblies that will benefit all projects at all of the NASA centers. This paper is number two in a series of papers being issued as a result of this task to define and qualify space grade fiber optic cable assemblies. Though to qualify and use a fiber optic cable in space requires treatment of the cable assembly as a system, it is very important to understand the design and behavior of its parts. This paper addresses that need, providing information on cable components shrinkage testing and radiation testing results from recent experiments at Goddard Space Flight Center. This work is an extension of the “lessons learned” reported in the first paper of this series entitled “Fiber Optic Cable Assemblies for Space Flight: Issues and Remedies,” published and presented at the AIAA World Congress in Anaheim CA, on October 15, 1997.