Degradation of solar cell optical performance due to plume particle pitting

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) solar arrays provide power that is needed for on-orbit experiments and operations. The ISS solar arrays are exposed to space environment effects that include contamination, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation and thermal cycling. The contamination effects include exposure to thruster plume contamination and erosion. This study was performed to better understand potential solar cell optical performance degradation due to increased scatter caused by plume particle pitting. A ground test was performed using a light gas gun to shoot glass beads at a solar cell with a shotgun approach. The increase in scatter was then measured and correlated with the surface damage.