LDEF (Flight), AO038 : Interstellar Gas Experiment, Tray E12

LDEF (Flight), AO038 : Interstellar Gas Experiment, Tray E12 The flight photograph was taken from the Orbiter aft flight deck during the LDEF retrieval. During the mission, the tray surface was at an angle of approximately ninety-eight (98) degrees to the orbital velocity vector and therefore exposed to a lower atomic oxygen flux than if parallel with the velocity vector. A very light stain is present on the white paint dots on experiment tray clamps along the lower edge of the tray. The color of the white thermal control paint on the IGE has changed and now varies from white to differing shades of brown. The darker brown areas on the experiment baseplate, around the grid voltage cable connectors, appear to have come from contaminants flowing from inside the LDEF. The shadows from the tray sidewalls hide most of the dark stain in the upper right corner of the tray. A lighter stain coats the tray's upper side wall, the left side of the canister housing and the experiment baseplate. The insulation on the grid voltage cable that was transparent prior to launch is now a light tan color.

NASA Identifier: L90-10431 S32-78-031