Electrical Conductivity and Discharge in Spacecraft Thermal Control Dielectrics

Engineering data on the radiation-induced and delayed conductivity in several common spacecraft dielectrics under conditions that approximate space exposure is presented. Direct measurements of discharge propagation velocity on Kapton, Teflon and Mylar is reported. Glass, and occasionally Mylar, exhibited discharges which propagated faster than 2 × 108 cm/s, but persist at ≈10-7 s.