Observations of Transient ISS Floating Potential Variations during High Voltage Solar Array Operations

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) continues to be a world-class space research laboratory after over 15 years of operations, and it has proven to be a fantastic resource for observing spacecraft floating potential variations related to high voltage solar array operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Measurements of the ionospheric electron density and temperature along the ISS orbit and variations in the ISS floating potential are obtained from the Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU). In particular, rapid variations in ISS floating potential during solar array operations on time scales of tens of milliseconds can be recorded due to the 128 Hz sample rate of the Floating Potential Probe (FPP) pro- viding interesting insight into high voltage solar array interaction with the space plasma environment. Comparing the FPMU data with the ISS operations timeline and solar array data provides a means for correlating some of the more complex and interesting transient floating potential variations with mission operations. These complex variations are not reproduced by current models and require further study to understand the underlying physical processes. In this paper we present some of the floating potential transients observed over the past few years along with the relevant space environment parameters and solar array operations data.