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Molecular Contamination on Anodized Aluminum Components of the Genesis Science CanisterInspection of the interior of the Genesis science canister after recovery in Utah, and subsequently at JSC, revealed a darkening on the aluminum canister shield and other canister components. There has been no such observation of film contamination on the collector surfaces, and preliminary spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements support the theory that the films observed on the anodized aluminum components do not appear on the collectors to any significant extent. The Genesis Science Team has made an effort to characterize the thickness and composition of the brown stain and to determine if it is associated with molecular outgassing.Detailed examination of the surfaces within the Genesis science canister reveals that the brown contamination is observed to varying degrees, but only on surfaces exposed in space to the Sun and solar wind hydrogen. In addition, the materials affected are primarily composed of anodized aluminum. A sharp line separating the sun and shaded portion of the thermal closeout panel is shown. This piece was removed from a location near the gold foil collector within the canister. Future plans include a reassembly of the canister components to look for large-scale patterns of contamination within the canister to aid in revealing the root cause.
Document ID
20050167043
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Burnett, D. S. (California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
McNamara, K. M. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Jurewicz, A. (California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Woolum, D. (California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2005
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 2
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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IDRelationTitle20050166923Collected WorksLunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 2
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