ELECTRICAL BREAKDOWN OF THE SPACE VACUUM

The insulating properties of the vacuum of space are examined in this paper. Generic electrode configurations are introduced to calculate th e leakage current to the electrodes and the breakdown potential of the ''space-vacuum'' as a function of altitude above ground. The conditio n that defines the breakdown threshold is dependent on the size of the sheath, r(L-B), relative to the interelectrode separation, r(e). Resu lts for the leakage currents and breakdown voltage are presented for b oth cases r(L-B) > r(e) and r(L-B) < r(e), and discussed in the contex t of space power systems and the SPEAR Program in particular.