Plume-Spacecraft Interaction Analysis

Plume-spacecraft interactions play an important role in the performance and integrity of spacecraft during their missions in space. The study encompasses a thruster's plume simulation and its impact on spacecraft geometries to understand and predict the effects and consequences of the impingement on spacecraft surfaces, such as erosion, contamination, forces, and torques.

The initial focus of the thesis is to simulate an electric thruster current density for both space and vacuum chamber measurements. This estimates the artificial broadening of the plume produced by low-pressure background air particles inside a vacuum chamber.

Subsequently, the study adopts a conservative approach by considering a current density obtained from vacuum chamber measurements, which allowed for an evaluation of the potential effects on spacecraft surfaces, thus delivering insights into erosion, contamination, as well as the distribution of forces and torques. The results highlight the importance of considering spacecraft charging in plume interactions, as the surface potential significantly affects the impact of the thruster's plume on spacecraft surfaces.

The outcome obtained throughout this project suggests that the effects of particle impingement on erosion, contamination, forces, and torques in plume-spacecraft interactions are influenced by the thruster location and the spacecraft's surface potential. It is important to note that additional factors, including thermal effects, radiation, and magnetic fields, which were not addressed in this thesis, may also pose potential threats to spacecraft performance and should be considered in future investigations.