Mitigation of spacecraft charging by means of polar molecules

摘要

The process of mitigation of spacecraft surface charging using polar molecules is invented. There exists a class of polar molecules which are electro-negative. This class includes the halocarbons, and includes the fluorocarbon refrigerants. They readily pick up electrons and become negatively charged molecules. In this invention, neutral polar molecular liquid is sprayed in fine mist form onto negatively charged spacecraft surfaces. The molecules pick up the electrons and evaporate away with the electrons.