Comparison of Spacecraft Charging Environments at the Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn

Studies of the Earth with the ATS-5, ATS-6, and SCATHA spacecraft led to the development of several simple tools for predicting the potentials to be expected on a spacecraft in the space environment. These tools have been used to estimate the expected levels of worst case charging at Jupiter and Saturn for the Galileo and the Cassini spacecraft missions. This paper reviews those results and puts them in the context of the design issues addressed by each mission including the spacecraft design mitigation strategies adopted to limit differential charging. The model shows that shadowed surfaces in Earth orbit can reach 25 kV or higher in worst case environments. For Galileo, spacecraft-to-space potentials of 900 V were predicted in shadow. Since such potentials could produce possible discharges and could effect low energy plasma measurements, the outer surface of Galileo was designed to rigid conductivity requirements. Even though the surface of Galileo is not entirely conducting, after 27 orbits no adverse effects due to surface charging aside from limited effects on low energy plasma measurements have been reported. The saturnian environment results in spacecraft potentials to space in shadow of 100 V or less. Although the overall surface of the Cassini spacecraft was not entirely conducting and grounded, it is shown that only in the most extreme conditions, is it expected that Cassini will experience any effects of surface charging at Saturn.