Materials International Space Station Experiment 5 Polymer Film Thermal Control Experiment

Abstract

It is known that polymer films can degrade as a result of space environmental exposure, but the magnitude of the mechanical property degradation and the degree to which the different environmental factors play a role is not well understood. An experiment was flown on the Materials International Space Station Experiment 5 to determine the change in tensile strength and percent elongation of some typical polymer films exposed in a nadir-facing environment on the International Space Station and, where possible, compare with similar ramand wake-facing experiments flown on theMaterials International Space Station Experiment 1 to get a better indication of the role the different environments play in mechanical property change. It was found that the majority of the polymers tested experienced some loss in tensile/yield strength and percent elongation with polytetrafluroethylene Teflon having the greatest change.Where comparisons could be made with theMaterials International Space Station Experiment 1, it appears that the loss in percent elongation is dependent on the radiation level while the loss in tensile strength is not as sensitive to the level of radiation.