Samples from the Thin Film Optics team on board the ISS
The Thin-Film research team of Institut Fresnel’s has supplied a set of multilayer treatments (mirrors and anti-reflective coatings) which have been integrated into the CNES EMA (Euro Material Ageing) experiment
These samples left on November 4, 2024 aboard SpaceX-31 and have been in space since December 16, just outside the International Space Station.
The SESAME (Space Environment Study of Ageing of MatErials) study involves analyzing the in-flight behavior of materials and measuring environmental parameters (atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, radiation).
CNES engineers and their partners will be able to use these samples to analyze how different materials behave when directly exposed to space. Initial stack properties (spectral response, stresses, etc.) will be compared with those measured after flight. Impacts from debris or micro-meteorites will also be studied.
These samples will be recovered and analyzed on their return from the ISS, in 12 to 18 months’ time.
Partners : CNRS, AMU, ECM, ESA and CNES
Contact : Antonin Moreau, Fabien Lemarchand, Frédéric Lemarquis and Julien Lumeau
