Outgassing

To qualify materials for their suitability for space applications, assessment of outgassing properties is required. “Outgassing” is defined as the mass loss of a sample due to thermal vacuum conditioning. AAC offers outgassing tests in accordance to the ESA standards ECSS-Q-ST-70-02C (“Thermal vacuum outgassing test for the screening of space materials”), ASTM E595 (“Standard Test Method for Total Mass Loss and Collected Volatile Condensable Materials from Outgassing in a Vacuum Environment”) and ECSS-Q-TM-70-52A (“kinetic outgassing of materials for space”). A facility to analyze mass transport of materials (in-situ mass loss in thermal vacuum, redeposition, evaporation, including material identification) is available at AAC.

For some spacecraft components, not only mass loss but the length change due to outgassing – the Coefficient of Moisture Expansion (CME) – needs to be evaluated as well. A facility to measure mass loss and length change with high accuracy is available at AAC.