An investigation of the variation of alternating current characteristics of electrical insulation materials used on spacecraft power systems

The electrical insulating materials used on spacecraft power systems degrade due to their exposure to a hostile environment. This environment consists of high energy protons, electrons and space plasma. The extreme thermal changes when the spacecraft is facing the Sun or when eclipsed by the Earth presents another cause for the degradation of the material. The alternating current properties, which indicate the quality and stability of the electrical insulation, are: changes in capacitance and the dissipation factor of the insulating material. The variation of these parameters with changes in temperature, vacuum pressure and frequency are investigated