Radiation qualification and testing of a large number of optical glasses used in the ESA Fluid Science Laboratory onboard the Columbus Orbital Facility of the International Space Station

Dominic B. Doyle; Thierry M. Dewandre; Dirk Claessens; Ellen De Cock; Luc Vautmans; Olivier Dupont; Andrei I. Gusarov

doi:10.1117/12.452227

11 November 2002 Radiation qualification and testing of a large number of optical glasses used in the ESA Fluid Science Laboratory onboard the Columbus Orbital Facility of the International Space Station

Dominic B. Doyle, Thierry M. Dewandre, Dirk Claessens, Ellen De Cock, Luc Vautmans, Olivier Dupont, Andrei I. Gusarov

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4823, Photonics for Space Environments VIII; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.452227
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2002, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

The Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) to be embarked on board the European Space Agency's Columbus Orbital Facility (COF) as part of the International Space Station (ISS) is a multi-user facility for the performance of microgravity research. It comprises a very complex optical bench, which can be configured in a number of different ways depending on the experiments to be undertaken. In particular several different types of interferometry including Phase-Shift, Electronic Speckle Pattern and Wollaston Shearing are feasible. This provides FSL and the scientists who use it with highly sensitive optical diagnostic tools for fluid physics research under microgravity conditions over extended periods of time. FSL is foreseen to operate on orbit for ten years. In this regard the entire optical bench and its optical components must withstand the launch, microgravity, thermal and radiation environments without significant degradation in performance over that time. The total radiation qualification dose for FSL is relatively low in absolute terms at a value 1400 Rad (14 Gy). It was expected that this would not cause a problem, but prior to these tests there was no quantitative data at all available on the radiation response of most of the optical glasses used, and hence a formal statement of qualification could not be made. This paper presents results of the radiation testing of most of the important glass materials used on the optical bench. The data are presented and analyzed in a parametric way such that the information may be applied to other optical instruments operating in a similar space radiation environment and for intermediate or longer timescales than the nominal FSL end of life of ten years.

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Dominic B. Doyle, Thierry M. Dewandre, Dirk Claessens, Ellen De Cock, Luc Vautmans, Olivier Dupont, and Andrei I. Gusarov "Radiation qualification and testing of a large number of optical glasses used in the ESA Fluid Science Laboratory onboard the Columbus Orbital Facility of the International Space Station", Proc. SPIE 4823, Photonics for Space Environments VIII, (11 November 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.452227

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