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Completed TRL 7 (started at 4, targeting 7)
Previous research projects focused on how durable 3D printed materials might be in the space environment using ground test facilities. During the testing, improved ultraviolet (UV) radiation sensors were also exposed, and the solar UV radiation simulator was better characterized. One of the UV radiation sensor designs and a variety of additively manufactured material specimens were launched in April 2018 as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment MISSE-9 array of experiments. After a year in space, these were returned to Earth.
A duplicate set of additively manufactured material specimens plus polycarbonate samples were launched in November 2018 and flown as part of the MISSE-10 array of experiments.These are on a different face of the MISSE Flight Facility (fig. 1), therefore in a different orientation and environmental exposure than the MISSE-9 samples.
A new set of materials was put in place of the MISSE-9 3D printed materials. This experiment, called Materials Experiment for Long Duration Exploration (MELDE) (fig. 2) is part of MISSE-11 and was launched in April 2019.
The synergistic effects of the various aspects of the space environment, e.g. atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, particulate radiation, thermal cycling, vacuum, are difficult to model and simulate. Flight experiments such as the MISSE series not only provide needed data on spacecraft material durability in the space environment but also reduce risk by improving ground simulations.
Simulated low Earth orbit exposures in this effort included 5 eV atomic oxygen and ultraviolet radiation. These tests provided the erosion yield, or the rate a polymeric material is damaged by atomic oxygen, and also changes in thermo-optical properties for these materials. The optical properties of the materials exposed on MISSE-9 were comparable to the changes seen during the simulated UV tests. Mechanical property changes were not available at time of publication.
The MISSE-9 and MISSE-10 experiments raise the TRL of manufacturing in space and give needed data on the behavior of additively manufactured materials in different aspects of the space environment. The improved UV sensors were successfully flown on the ram, wake, and zenith sides of the MISSE Flight Facility. Other additively manufactured materials were identified for space environmental effects testing, mostly for electrical components and thermal control. The MISSE-11 experiment MELDE incorporated these and other needed materials such as ionic liquid epoxies, radiation shielding, multi-layer insulation materials, and environmentally-friendly protective coatings.
This project provided data on the durability of additively manufactured materials in the space environment, to help develop in-space manufacturing capabilities and advance towards more sophisticated parts. At the same time, laboratory simulators were improved for better fidelity to the space environment. Work is continuing on materials needed for long duration exploration of space.
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