Testing Of Antireflection Coatings Using The NASA Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF)

Optics for spacecraft presently use antireflection (AR) coatings whose space environment performance has only been measured indirectly via overall system performance. New AR coating techniques, chemically prepared coatings, are not readily accepted for use due to a lack of qualifying space environment data. We describe an experiment to be carried out on the NASA Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The experiment will utilize multiple samples, both coated and uncoated, with non-flight samples being maintained as controls. Conventional vacuum deposited coatings will be utilized as well as the new chemically prepared coatings. The present LDEF mission will provide 6 to 9 months of low earth orbit environment with future missions providing several years of exposure both in low earth orbit and in higher orbits.