Remote surface potential determination for nearby objects in space is an enabling technology for a range of space mission concepts, from improved rendezvous capabilities to touchless debris remediation with the electrostatic tractor concept. One concept is to use a nearby servicing spacecraft which fires electrons at the target. These electrons generate bremsstrahlung X‐rays, and the resultant X‐ray spectrum can be used to determine the landing energy of the electrons. By knowing the initial energy of the electrons, such as those emitted from an electron gun, the relative potential of the target can be inferred. The use of electron‐induced X‐rays to determine the electrostatic potential of a surface has previously been investigated theoretically, but this work demonstrates it experimentally. Accuracy is found to correlate to the angle between the detector and the target, and investigation of this relationship is a topic of future work. The mean error in landing energy is found to be approximately 1%, and the mean error in estimated plate voltage is found to be within the uncertainty of the high voltage power supply. Material determination is successfully demonstrated, using characteristic X‐rays to identify elements that make up less than 0.5% by mass of the target sample. Several possible means of improving landing energy accuracy are discussed.

中文翻译：

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X射线光谱法测定航天器静电势和材料成分的实验结果

远程确定太空中附近物体的表面电势是一系列太空任务概念的使能技术，从改进的集合点功能到静电拖拉机概念的非接触式碎片修复。一种概念是使用附近的维修航天器，该航天器向目标发射电子。这些电子产生致辐射的X射线，合成的X射线光谱可用于确定电子的着陆能。通过知道电子的初始能量，例如从电子枪发射的电子，可以推断出目标的相对电势。以前在理论上已经研究过使用电子感应X射线确定表面的静电势，但是这项工作在实验上得到了证明。发现精度与检测器和目标之间的角度相关，对此关系的研究是未来工作的主题。发现着陆能量的平均误差约为1％，并且估计的板极电压的平均误差位于高压电源的不确定性之内。通过使用特征性X射线来鉴定组成少于目标样品质量的0.5％的元素，成功地确定了材料。讨论了提高着陆能量精度的几种可能方法。通过使用特征性X射线来鉴定组成少于目标样品质量的0.5％的元素，成功地确定了材料。讨论了提高着陆能量精度的几种可能方法。通过使用特征性X射线来鉴定组成少于目标样品质量的0.5％的元素，成功地确定了材料。讨论了提高着陆能量精度的几种可能方法。