Title: Plasma effects on surfaces and spacecraft structural materials: arc analyses based on image processing

Authors: I.M. Selim; Afaf M. Abd El-Hameed; O.M. Shalabiea

Addresses: Faculty of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt ' Solar and Space Researches Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), 11421, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt ' Faculty of Navigation Science and Space Technology, Beni Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt; Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract: The space plasma is one of the environmental components impinging on the materials used for spacecraft surface structure and configuration. Therefore, ground-based experimental simulations are carried out on samples of materials to study the variation of the characteristics and morphological structures of the materials due to plasma effects. In the experiments, discharging and arcs inception has been investigated. The experimental procedures are performed at different test conditions and plasma parameters. Morphological and arc images analyses have been carried out using the Python and Maxim DL programs. The results have shown the variation of the structure and sample characteristics due to plasma exposure and arc effects.

Keywords: plasma properties; ground-based simulations; materials samples; plasma effects; material characteristics; morphological structure; discharging and arc effects; arcs imaging; images analyses; mitigation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPACESE.2025.144354

International Journal of Space Science and Engineering, 2025 Vol.7 No.2, pp.101 - 126

Received: 10 Sep 2023
Accepted: 10 Apr 2024
Published online: 10 Feb 2025 *

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