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i

NASA/TM—2015–218205

Analysis of Fluorinated Polyimides Flown

on the Materials International

Space Station Experiment

M.M. Finckenor

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama

L. Rodman and B. Farmer

NeXolve Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama

March 2015

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Marshall Space Flight Center • Huntsville, Alabama 35812
ii

Available from:

NASA STI Information Desk

Mail Stop 148

NASA Langley Research Center

Hampton, VA 23681–2199, USA

757–864–9658

This report is also available in electronic form at

<http://www.sti.nasa.gov>

TRADEMARKS

Trade names and trademarks are used in this report for identification only. This usage does not constitute an official 

endorsement, either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Acknowledgments 

The authors would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the many scientists and engineers 

who have made the Materials International Space Station Experiment program so successful, especially Bill Kinard, 

Gary Pippin, Michael Stropki, Karen Gibson, Rob Walters, and Phil Jenkins. The authors also wish to thank Dr. Julie 

Robinson, Kevin Window, Rod Jones, Annette Sledd, and Ginger Flores for their support of International Space 

Station research. Thanks to Sandie Gibbs and Emmett Given for their talented photography, and to Don Burch 

and Curtis Bahr for laboratory support.
iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1

 2. ENVIRONMENTAL DEFINITIONS .............................................................................. 2

 3. COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1 ........................................................................................... 4

3.1 Uncoated Colorless Polyimide 1 .................................................................................. 4

3.2 Colorless Polyimide 1 With Vapor-Deposited Aluminum ............................................ 6

3.3 Colorless Polyimide 1 With Vapor-Deposited Aluminum and Silicon Oxide ............... 11

 4. CONDUCTIVE WHITE COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1 .................................................. 13

 5. CONDUCTIVE BLACK COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1 ................................................. 15

 6. INFRARED TRANSPARENT COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1 ....................................... 16

 7. ESSAR STRETCHTM 255/EP2550 FILM .......................................................................... 18

 8. TOUGHENED COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1 ................................................................ 20

 9. CORIN® XLS ................................................................................................................... 22

10. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................. 24

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 25
iv

LIST OF FIGURES

 1. ISS locations of MISSEs -1 through -4 and -6 through -8 ......................................... 3

 2. MISSE-1 uncoated CP1 sample with solvent seam lap joint ...................................... 4

 3. Transmission of MISSE-1 uncoated CP1 .................................................................. 5

 4. MISSE-2 uncoated CP1 with butt joint seam, with witness Kapton .......................... 5

 5. Transmission of MISSE-2 uncoated CP1 .................................................................. 6

 6. Aluminized CP1 with aluminized side exposed ......................................................... 7

 7. Reflectance of aluminized CP1 flown on MISSE-2 (4-year exposure)

and MISSE-3 (1-year exposure). VDA was measured as first surface ........................ 7

 8. Aluminized CP1 flown with polymer side exposed .................................................... 8

 9. Reflectance of aluminized CP1 with polymer side exposed. Reflectance

is of VDA as second surface, through CP1 ................................................................ 8

10. Reflectance of 2-μm CP1 with VDA .......................................................................... 9

11. MISSE-1 CP1 with VDA and SiOx coatings and Kevlar ripstop ............................... 10

12. Reflectance of MISSE-1 CP1 with VDA, SiOx, and ripstop ...................................... 11

13. MISSE-4 CP1 with VDA and SiOx coatings .............................................................. 12

14. MISSE-6A conductive white CP1 ............................................................................. 13

15. Reflectance of MISSE-6 conductive white CP1 ......................................................... 14

16. Visible to near-infrared transmission of infrared transparent CP1 ............................ 16

17. Calculated infrared transmission for infrared transparent CP1 ................................. 17

18. Transmission of MISSE-6 EP2550 samples ............................................................... 18
v

LIST OF FIGURES (Continued)

19. Reflectance of MISSE-6A conductive EP2550 .......................................................... 19

20. Toughened CP1 flown on MISSE-7B wake side ........................................................ 20

21. Transmission of toughened CP1 ................................................................................ 21

22. Transmission of AO-resistant CP1 ............................................................................ 22

23. Toughened CORIN® XLS flown on MISSE-7B wake side ....................................... 23

24. Transmission of toughened CORIN® XLS .............................................................. 23

LIST OF TABLES 

1. Mission exposure summary of MISSEs -1 through -7 ............................................... 2
vi

LIST OF SYMBOLS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

AO atomic oxygen

CP colorless polyimide

ESH equivalent Sun hour(s)

EXPRESS EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station

GRC Glenn Research Center

HPGT high-pressure gas tank

ISS International Space Station

LaRC Langley Research Center

MgF2 magnesium fluoride

MISSE Materials on International Space Station Experiment

O oxygen

PEC passive experiment container

SiOx silicon oxide

UV ultraviolet

VDA vapor-deposited aluminum
1

TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM

ANALYSIS OF FLUORINATED POLYIMIDES FLOWN ON THE MATERIALS 

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXPERIMENT 

1. INTRODUCTION

Since August 2001, the Materials on International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) have 

provided a wealth of space environmental effects data on a variety of materials and spacecraft 

components. Among these were samples of polymers developed at the Langley Research Center 

(LaRC), colorless polyimide 1 (CP1) and CP2. NeXolve Corporation, formerly known as SRS 

Technologies and ManTech Corporation, exclusively licensed the original polyimides from LaRC.

Over the years, NeXolve modified CP1 by various proprietary additives and coatings to create new 

materials and improve film properties. This Technical Memorandum includes data on postflight 

structural integrity, visual observations, determination of atomic oxygen (AO) erosion yield (also 

known as AO reactivity, given in cm3/atom), and optical property changes for samples returned to 

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. More data may be found in reference 1 for polymeric materials studied at Glenn Research Center (GRC). Published MISSE data, photographs, and some raw 

data files are being gathered in a database in the Materials and Processes Technical Information 

System.2

Unless otherwise specified, solar absorptance (αs) measurements were made with an AZ 

Technology Laboratory portable spectroreflectometer model 300. Infrared emittance (ε) measurements were made with an AZ Technology TEMP 2000A infrared reflectometer. Changes of ±0.01 

in these optical properties are not considered statistically significant. Transmission measurements 

were made with a Perkin Elmer Lambda 19 reflectometer prior to July 2012 and with a Perkin 

Elmer Lambda 1050 reflectometer after July 2012. Both reflectometers were equipped with 150-mm 

integrating spheres and provided comparable transmission measurements.
2

2. ENVIRONMENTAL DEFINITIONS

MISSE is a series of materials flight experiments, the first two of which were delivered to 

the International Space Station (ISS) during Space Transportation System-105 in 2001. Experiments developed by principal investigators were loaded onto hinged, suitcase-like containers, called 

passive experiment containers (PECs), and were exposed to the space environment on the exterior 

of the ISS. During transport to the ISS on the space shuttle, the PECs were closed with the samples 

facing each other for protection. Once the space shuttle reached the ISS, the PECs were  attached 

to its exterior during an extravehicular activity and opened back to back, exposing the samples to 

space. Materials in this study were flown on MISSEs -1, -2, -3, -4, -6, and -7, which had various 

external locations on the ISS. 

Table 1 presents their environments in terms of AO fluence (given as oxygen (O) atoms/cm2) 

and ultraviolet (UV) radiation in equivalent Sun hours (ESH).3,4 Figure 1 shows the ISS locations of these MISSEs. Note that the earlier MISSE flights were numbered for each PEC, so that 

MISSEs -1 and -2 flew together, as did MISSEs -3 and -4. The later flights were single numbers 

with different letters for each PEC, e.g., MISSEs -6A and -6B. No samples from MISSEs -5, -7A, 

or -8 are included in this study, though a study of other fluorinated polymers including Tedlar®, 

Tefzel®, Teflon®, and polyvinylidene difluoride from MISSE-5 may be found in reference 5.

Table 1. Mission exposure summary of MISSEs -1 through -7.

MISSE

Placed Outside 

ISS

Retrieved 

From ISS

Exposure

(yr) Location on ISS

AO Fluence

(O atoms/cm2)

UV Dose

(ESH)

1 8/16/01 7/30/05 3.95 HPGT Wake: 1.1–1.3 x 1020 4,500–5,600

2 8/16/01 7/30/05 3.95 Quest airlock Ram: MgF2 window block

Wake: 1.7–2 x 1020

Ram: 5,000–6,700

Wake: 4,800–6,200

3 8/3/06* 8/18/07 1.04 HPGT Wake: 1.9 x 1020 Wake: 790

4 8/3/06* 8/18/07 1.04 Quest airlock Ram: 2.1 x 1021

Wake: 3.6 x 1020

Ram: 1,590

Wake: 995

6A, 6B 3/22/08 9/1/09 1.45 Columbus 

laboratory 

Ram: 2 x 1021

Wake: 1.2 x 1020

Ram: 2,600

Wake: 1,950

7B 11/23/09 5/20/11 1.49 EXPRESS

Logistics Carrier 

2 on the S3 truss

Ram: 4.2 x 1021

Wake: 2.9 x 1020

Ram: 2,400

Wake: 2,000

 *Deployed during Expedition 13.
3

Quest Airlock

Columbus EPF

MISSE-6

ELC (starboard)

MISSE-7

MISSE-8

MISSE-1

MISSE-2

MISSE-3

MISSE-4

Figure 1. ISS locations of MISSEs -1 through -4 and -6 through -8.

All of the MISSE PECs for this study were flown in a ram/wake orientation, i.e., leading 

edge/trailing edge facing. These orientations provide different space environmental exposures. For 

example, samples in a ram orientation receive the greatest amount of AO exposure combined with 

solar radiation exposure, while those in a wake orientation receive solar radiation exposure with 

less AO exposure. The ISS has many orientations, including one for shuttle docking during which 

the MISSE wake side faced the ram direction. In general, the wake side samples received an order 

of magnitude less AO than the ram side samples. This means that, while material darkening related 

to UV radiation is sometimes more obvious on the wake side samples, these samples still experience AO erosion or bleaching. The exceptions to this are some thin film samples flown underneath 

a magnesium fluoride (MgF2) window, which allowed 90% or more UV transmission while blocking any AO effects. 

MISSE samples were exposed just past the solar cycle maximum and through the solar 

minimum. Thus, samples exposed on MISSE-7 were exposed to twice as much AO as the samples 

on MISSE-6, even though those on MISSE-6 were exposed for 1 month less than MISSE-7. 

The reader should not assume that, because one material survived for a year on orbit, it 

would survive a year in any orbit, any environment, any orientation, or at any point in the solar 

cycle. It is critical to model the expected use environment and choose materials accordingly.

While severe molecular contamination can skew the results of a space environmental effects 

investigation, analysis of several optical witness samples flown on each MISSE indicated 50–500 Å 

of silicate deposition. This amount is enough to affect sensitive optics but not enough to significantly impact polymer erosion or optical properties. 
4

3. COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1

Three different versions of CP1 have been flown on MISSE—uncoated, coated on one side 

with vapor-deposited aluminum (VDA), and coated on one side with VDA and the other side with 

silicon oxide (SiOx) (secs. 3.1–3.3, respectively).

3.1 Uncoated Colorless Polyimide 1

Uncoated CP1 was flown on the wake side of MISSEs -1 through -3. Figure 2 is the 

MISSE-1 sample, which is 1 mil thick with an adhesive-free solvent seam lap joint, which survived 

the 1.1–1.3×1020 atoms/cm2 AO fluence. A Kapton® witness sample was flown underneath the 

CP1 and indicated no through erosion. Figure 3 is the transmission measurements of the flight and 

control samples, which indicated no significant change due to exposure to the space environment. 

Measurements were made on either side of the lap joint.

Figure 2. MISSE-1 uncoated CP1 sample with solvent seam lap joint.
5

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

Wavelength (nm)

Transmission (%)

F3

Flight N4

Control N4

Flight N4

Figure 3. Transmission of MISSE-1 uncoated CP1.

Figure 4 is the MISSE-2 sample, which is 1 mil thick with an adhesive-free butt joint 

seam. While the sample survived the ~2×1020 atoms/cm2 AO fluence, the seam failed after 

~1.8×1020 atoms/cm2, as indicated by the Kapton witness sample underneath. Measurements on 

either side of the butt joint showed an increase in transmission in the UV-visible wavelengths, confirming thinning of the material due to the higher AO fluence (fig. 5).

Figure 4. MISSE-2 uncoated CP1 with butt joint seam, with witness Kapton.
6

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

Wavelength (nm)

Transmission (%)

F5

Control N1

Flight N1

Flight N1

Figure 5. Transmission of MISSE-2 uncoated CP1.

 3.2 Colorless Polyimide 1 With Vapor-Deposited Aluminum

Aluminized CP1 was flown on MISSE-2. On the ram side, two identical 1-mil samples were 

flown underneath MgF2 windows, and on the wake side, one 1-mil sample was directly exposed to 

space. These were all flown with the aluminized side exposed, which darkened due to UV exposure 

(fig. 6). Two samples of aluminized CP1 were also flown on the wake side of MISSE-3, one with 

the aluminized side exposed and the other with the CP1 side exposed. Figure 7 shows the reflectance curves for the samples where the aluminized side was exposed, flown on MISSE-2 (4-year 

exposure) and MISSE-3 (1-year exposure). The MISSE-3 wake sample with the CP1 exposed is 

shown in figure 8. Erosion was evident, as the infrared emittance dropped from 0.65 to 0.61. 

Figure 9 is the reflectance curve for the exposed polymer.
7

Figure 6. Aluminized CP1 with aluminized side exposed.

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Wavelength (nm)

Reflectance (%)

F9

Control

1-yr Exposure

4-yr Exposure

Figure 7. Reflectance of aluminized CP1 flown on MISSE-2 (4-year exposure)

and MISSE-3 (1-year exposure). VDA was measured as first surface.
8

Figure 8. Aluminized CP1 flown with polymer side exposed.

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Wavelength (nm)

Reflectance (%)

F11

Control

1-yr Exposure

Figure 9. Reflectance of aluminized CP1 with polymer side exposed.

Reflectance is of VDA as second surface, through CP1.
9

In 2005, a solar sail of 2-μm CP1 with VDA was successfully tested at GRC.6 In addition to 

launch vibration and ascent vent tests, the 20-m2 sail was deployed under high vacuum and 16 oC 

temperature in the Plum Brook Station test chamber. These tests led to the successful Nanosail-D2 

mission7 in 2011. MISSE flight samples were made from the reserves of the 2-μm CP1 with VDA 

and flown behind windows on both the ram and wake sides of MISSE-6B. Some UV effects on 

reflectance can be seen in figure 10.

Control

Under Window, Ram

Under Window, Wake

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Reflectance (%)

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Wavelength (nm)

newF10

Figure 10. Reflectance of 2-μm CP1 with VDA.
10

3.3 Colorless Polyimide 1 With Vapor-Deposited Aluminum and Silicon Oxide

One of the MISSE-1 wake side samples was 5-μm-thick CP1 with VDA on one side, SiOx

on the other side, and embedded Kevlar ripstop yarn. The SiOx side was exposed to space and 

1.3×1020 atoms/cm2 of AO. This sample, including the Kevlar ripstop, survived the flight (fig. 11). 

Figure 12 is the reflectance curve for this coated CP1 sample.

Figure 11. MISSE-1 CP1 with VDA and SiOx coatings and Kevlar ripstop.
11

F14

Reflectance (%)

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Wavelength (nm)

Control

4-yr Exposure

Figure 12. Reflectance of MISSE-1 CP1 with VDA, SiOx, and ripstop.
12

A thicker sample without the ripstop was flown on the ram-facing side of MISSE-4 and 

exposed to 2.1×1021 atoms/cm2 of AO. The heavy AO attack seen in figure 13 resulted in some 

erosion through the 0.85-mil-thick film. The sample was flown with the SiOx coating exposed 

to space.

Figure 13. MISSE-4 CP1 with VDA and SiOx coatings.
13

4. CONDUCTIVE WHITE COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1

Conductive white CP1 of 1.1 to 1.2 mil thickness was flown on the ram side of both 

MISSEs -6A and -6B, with the MISSE-6B sample flown under an MgF2 window. This material is 

similar, but not identical, to the conductive material Thermalbright®. Atomic oxygen bleaching 

was noted (fig. 14), with a solar absorptance decrease from 0.442 to 0.371 due to 2×1021 oxygen 

atoms/cm2. Mass loss for this sample indicates an AO erosion yield of 9×10–26 cm3/atom. The 

sample flown under a window showed some UV darkening with an increase in solar absorptance 

from 0.448 to 0.532 (fig. 15).

Figure 14. MISSE-6A conductive white CP1.
14

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Reflectance (%)

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Wavelength (nm)

Control

Exposed to Ram

Flown Under Window

F17

Figure 15. Reflectance of MISSE-6 conductive white CP1.
15

5. CONDUCTIVE BLACK COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1

Conductive black CP1 was flown on the ram side of MISSE-6A and did not survive the 

flight. It is likely that the black pigment was not adequately encapsulated to withstand AO erosion 

of the entire 1-mil thickness.
16

6. INFRARED TRANSPARENT COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1

Two samples of 1.5-mil-thick infrared-transparent CP1 were flown on the wake side of 

MISSE-6B under two different window materials. The window for sample No. 1 transmitted more 

UV than the sample for No. 2, but no significant difference was noted between the samples. 

Figure 16 is the transmission curve for visible to near-infrared wavelengths for these samples. 

Figure 17 is the calculated infrared transmission for the 2- to 20-μm-wavelength band using an 

AZ Technology Laboratory portable infrared reflectometer. Infrared transmission was calculated 

using multiple infrared reflectance measurements made using high and low emittance materials as 

backing for the CP1 samples.

 updated F18

Control

MISSE-6 No. 1

MISSE-6 No. 2

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

Wavelength (nm)

Transmission (%)

Figure 16. Visible to near-infrared transmission of infrared transparent CP1.
17

Infrared Transmission (calculated) (%)

Wavelength (μm)

 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

F19

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Control

MISSE-6 No. 1

MISSE-6 No. 2

Figure 17. Calculated infrared transmission for infrared transparent CP1.
18

7. ESSAR STRETCHTM 255/EP2550 FILM

EP2550 film, now called Essar StretchTM 255, was developed as a low modulus analog of 

CP1, capable of withstanding high temperatures, visibly clear, and easily modified with various 

fillers. Conductive (3.2 mil) and nonconductive (3.4 mil) versions were exposed directly to the space 

environment on the MISSE-6A ram side; nonconductive EP2550 samples were flown beneath 

windows on both ram and wake sides of MISSE-6B. The wake side sample was damaged during 

postflight handling.

Transmission of the nonconductive EP2550 is shown in figure 18. The directly exposed sample yellowed due to AO and UV interaction and had an AO erosion yield of 6.5×10–26 cm3/atom. 

The conductive version also darkened from a solar absorptance of 0.419 to 0.567 but had a lower 

AO erosion yield of 2.6×10–26 cm3/atom. Figure 19 shows the reflectance curve for the conductive 

EP2550.

Control

Ram, Exposed

Ram, Under Window

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Transmission (%)

Wavelength (nm)

300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

F20 Figure 18. Transmission of MISSE-6 EP2550 samples.
19

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Reflectance (%)

Wavelength (nm)

 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

F21

Control

Exposed to Ram

Figure 19. Reflectance of MISSE-6A conductive EP2550.
20

8. TOUGHENED COLORLESS POLYIMIDE 1

Toughened CP1 has improved tear resistance, as much as 40 times more resistant to tears 

than the original CP1. 0.28-mil-thick toughened CP1 was flown on both the ram and wake sides 

of MISSE-7B, but the ram side sample did not survive the flight. Figure 20 shows toughened CP1 

and figure 21 shows the transmission of toughened CP1 samples flown on the wake side.

Figure 20. Toughened CP1 flown on MISSE-7B wake side.
21

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200

Transmission (%)

Wavelength (nm)

Control

B7-W-2

B7-W-4

N11-W-5 Under Window

NewF21_1437

Figure 21. Transmission of toughened CP1.
22

9. CORIN® XLS

An early version of CORIN® XLS labeled as an AO-resistant CP1 was flown on the 

MISSE-6A ram side. The AO erosion yield for this sample was 8.4×10–26 cm3/atom; the transmission is shown in figure 22. 

F24

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

Wavelength (nm)

Transmission (%)

Control

Exposed to Ram

Figure 22. Transmission of AO-resistant CP1.
23

0.26-mil-thick toughened CORIN® XLS was flown on both the ram and wake sides of 

MISSE-7B. The ram side sample was damaged but not entirely eroded away. The CORIN® XLS 

darkened more than the toughened CP1 flown in the same fixture (fig. 23). The transmission of 

toughened CORIN® XLS flown on the wake side is shown in figure 24.

Figure 23. Toughened CORIN® XLS flown on MISSE-7B wake side.

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Transmission (%)

200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200

Wavelength (nm)

Control

Flight B7-W-1

Flight B7-W-3

Figure 24. Transmission of toughened CORIN® XLS. F26_1437
24

10. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The information presented here was gathered to support solar sail and advanced propulsion 

projects that might use colorless polyimide films. The specific exposure conditions and associated 

effects vary for each spacecraft/mission profile and must be considered when choosing materials, 

i.e., what works for low-Earth orbit conditions with minimal radiation effects may not work in 

a geosynchronous, Lagrangian, or a lunar environment. Some margin should be included in a 

design for unexpected degradation or contamination events. The MISSE experiments had low or 

localized contamination that did not significantly affect the results of space environmental effects. 

Proper materials selection and sensible contamination control procedures during hardware development, integration, and launch site processing should be enforced to minimize the impact of 

contamination on spacecraft performance.
25

REFERENCES 

1. de Groh, K.K.; Banks, B.A.; McCarthy, C.E.; et al.: “MISSE PEACE Polymers Atomic Oxygen 

Erosion Results,” NASA/TM—2006–214482, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, 

25 pp., November 2006.

2. Materials and Processes Technical Information System, <http://maptis.nasa.gov/>, July 2014.

3. Pippin, G.: “Summary Status of MISSE-1 and MISSE-2 Experiments and Details of Estimated 

Environmental Exposures for MISSE-1 and MISSE-2,” Paper AFRL-ML-WP-TR-2006-4237, 

United Technology Corporation, Dayton, OH, Final Report for the Air Force Research Laboratory, June 24, 2002–July 31, 2006, July 2006.

4. Finckenor, M.M.; Pippin, G.; and Kinard, W.H.: “Estimated Environmental Exposures for 

MISSE-3 and MISSE-4,” Paper presented at National Space & Missile Material Symposium, 

Henderson, NV, June 23–27, 2008.

5. de Groh, K.K.; Finckenor, M.M.; Minton, T.; et al.: “Post-Flight Analysis of Selected Fluorocarbon and Other Thin Film Polymer Specimens Flown on MISSE-5,” Paper presented at 

National Space & Missile Materials Symposium, Keystone, CO, June 25–29, 2007.

6. Johnson, L.; Young, R.; Montgomery, E.; and Alhorn, D.: “Status of solar sail technology 

within NASA,” Adv. Space Res., Vol. 48, No. 11, pp. 1687–1694, doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2010.12.011, 

December 2011.

7. Alhorn, D.C.; Casas, J.P.; Agasid, E.F.; et al.: “NanoSail-D: The Small Satellite That Could!,” 

Paper SSC11-VI-1, Proc. AIAA/USU Conf. Small Satellites, Logan, UT, August 8–11, 2011.

8. de Groh, K.K.; Banks, B.A.; Guo, A.; et al.: “MISSE 6 Polymers Atomic Oxygen Erosion 

Data,” Paper presented at National Space & Missile Materials Symposium, Scottsdale, AZ, 

June 28–July 1, 2010.
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Analysis of Fluorinated Polyimides Flown on the Materials

International Space Station Experiment

M.M. Finckenor, L. Rodman,* and B. Farmer*

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

Huntsville, AL 35812

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546–0001

Unclassified-Unlimited

Subject Category 27

Availability: NASA STI Information Desk (757–864–9658)

Prepared by the Materials & Processes Laboratory, Engineering Directorate

*NeXolve Corporation, Huntsville, AL

M–1394

Technical Memorandum

NASA/TM—2015–218205

polymer, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, solar sail, materials, lightweight

01–03–2015

UU 36

NASA

U U U

This Technical Memorandum documents the results from the Materials on International Space Station 

Experiment (MISSE) series involving fluorinated polyimide films analyzed at NASA Marshall Space 

Flight Center. These films may be used in thermal control, sunshield, solar sail, solar concentrator, and 

other lightweight polymer film applications. Results include postflight structural integrity, visual observations, determination of atomic oxygen erosion yield, and optical property changes as compared to preflight values. 

STI Help Desk at email: help@sti.nasa.gov

STI Help Desk at: 757–864–9658

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George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

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