A mathematical model of spacecraft charging ('Coulomb' tool)

This report describes a mathematical model of spacecraft charging in geosynchronous and high altitude orbits. The electric potential and electric field intensity distributions can be analysed by the 'Coulomb' computer tool both at the spacecraft surface and around it. The spacecraft three-dimensional model is created by a set of elementary basic figures. The analytical functions have been obtained from experimental data and are used to describe the electrophysical properties of surface materials. The calculations of primary and secondary charged particles trajectories are conducted in the framework of our model. Spatial distributions of atoms and molecules emitted from the spacecraft surface may be determined using the same model. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd