The flight photograph was taken while the LDEF was attached to the Orbiter's RMS arm prior to berthing in the Orbiter's cargo bay. A combination of the space environment and contamination has caused the paint dot on the clamp block located at the center of the bottom tray flange to change from their original white color to dark brown. Finger prints observed on the lower tray flange and sidewall indicate the lack of proper preflight handling/cleaning. The Space Debris Impact Experiment consists of a three sixteenth (3/16) of an inch thick chromic anodized aluminum panel mounted in a three (3) inch deep LDEF experiment tray. The side of the plate exposed to the LDEF interior is painted with Chemglaze Z-306 flat black paint over a Chemglaze 9924 wash primer. The panels are attached to the aluminum tray structure with non- magnetic stainless steel fasteners. The panel coatings, a thin layer of chromic anodize facing out and the Chemglaze Z-306 black paint facing the LDEF interior, contribute significantly to thermal control of the LDEF spacecraft. The greenish-gray and pink tints on the two (2) debris panels are a by-product of the chromic anodize coating process and not attributed to contamination and/or exposure to the space environment. Finger prints seen along all edges of the left debris panel indicate improper preflight handling/cleaning.
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