THE STABILITY OF HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING MATERIALS IN LOW EARTH ORBITS

THE NEW HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING MATERIALS OFFER THEPOTENTIAL FOR APPLICATIONS ABOARD SPACECRAFT BECAUSE COMPONENTS UTILIZING SUCH MATERIALS WOULD REQUIRE MINIMAL REFRIGERATION TO OPERATE IN SPACE. IF THESE MATERIALS ARE TO BE USED IN SPACE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE THEIR RESISTANCE TO THE DELETERIOUS CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED IN THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY THE ATOMIC OXYGEN FOUND IN LOWEARTH ORBITS (LEO). THE PRIMARY CANDIDATE MATERIAL CHOSEN FOR THIS INVESTIGATION IS YBA2CU3OX, WHICH HAS A CRITICAL TEMPERATURE, TC, AS HIGH AS 92 K AND CAN BE PREPARED AS A THIN OR THICK FILM BY VARIOUS TECHNIQUES. IT IS HERE PROPOSED, TO PREPARE FILMS OF YBA2CU3OX WITH DIFFERING INITIAL CONCENTRATIONS OF OXYGEN AND TO EXPOSE THESE TO ATOMIC OXYGEN BOMBARDMENT SIMULATING THAT OF LEO. THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO CORRELATE DAMAGE WITH OXYGEN CONTENT (IN PHASE I), SO AS TO OPTIMIZE THE FORMULATION OF THE CANDIDATE FILMS WHICH WILL BE RADIATION-HARDENED FOR APPLICATION IN THE LEO ENVIRONMENT (IN PHASE II). THE INNOVATIVE NATURE OF THE RESEARCH IS ASSURED BY THE FACT THAT NONE OF THE REPORTED RADIATION STUDIES ON SUPERCONDUCTORS HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT IN THIS ENVIRONMENT. SUCCESS IN THIS PROJECT WOULD PROMOTE THE APPLICATION OF THE NEW SUPERCONDUCTING MATERIALS ON THE SURFACES OF SPACECRAFT, ESPECIALLY FOR FREE SPACE COMMUNICATIONS FROM LEO.