Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Exposure Effects on Polyimide Aerogels During MISSE Missions

As part of ‘Materials on the International Space Station Experiment’ (MISSE) missions, polyimide aerogel samples at varying densities were part of a test series positioned on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) during MISSE-9 and MISSE-12 missions. At low Earth orbit (LEO), spacecrafts are subjected to extreme environmental conditions such as thermal cycling, cosmic ray, and solar wind charge particle radiations as well as atomic oxygen. Herein, the aerogel materials were characterized for changes in physical and mechanical properties as well as thermal and optical properties. Results were then compared with the corresponding data obtained from the baseline samples of similar batches stored under ambient conditions on Earth.