Abstract:
The exterior of MO was found to be dirty after the spacecraft had been mated to the launch vehicle. The air conditioning piping or the nitrogen purge system were the likely sources of the contamination. Similarly, deterioration of the nitrogen delivery system for Topex at a contractor facility produced heavily contaminated output. Use gas use supplies only from known, proven sources, investigate the gas supply source and delivery system, and test gases at the source and at the point of delivery.