Abstract

Concern about the ability of thin film coatings used for reflective optical elements to withstand the orbital space environment has led to a series of Shuttle-based experiments known as the Evaluation of Oxygen Interaction with Materials (EOIM), the last mission of which was flown in 1983. During the following year, the opportunity to evaluate long-term effects on these coatings presented itself with the deployment of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), with an intended duration of one year. Due to changes in Shuttle schedule priorities, however, it was almost six years before the spacecraft was retrieved.

© 1991 Optical Society of America