Spacecraft Charging Considerations and Design Efforts for the Orion Crew Module

The Orion Crew Module (CM) is nearing completion for the next flight, designated as Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). For the uncrewed mission, the flight path will take the CM on an out and back pass through the Van Allen belts... [ view full abstract ]

The Orion Crew Module (CM) is nearing completion for the next flight, designated as Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). For the uncrewed mission, the flight path will take the CM on an out and back pass through the Van Allen belts twice, then out to the moon, then finally back home. Because of this, the vehicle will experience a wide range of exposures to energetic ions and electrons, essentially covering the gamut between low earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit and beyond. NASA and LM have been working to fully understand and characterize the vehicle’s immunity level with regard to surface and deep dielectric charging, and the ramifications of that immunity level with regard to materials and impacts to operational avionics, communications, and navigational systems. This presentation chronicles these efforts in a summary fashion, and attempts to capture the results of that work as they pertain to the electrical and avionic systems on-board the Orion CM.