---
title: "Attack Of The Atomic Oxygen"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/attack-of-the-atomic-oxygen-8juwpyku6
source_url: https://hackaday.com/2026/05/28/attack-of-the-atomic-oxygen
type: article
source: "Hackaday"
published: 2026-05-28T18:32:59.374Z
updated: 2026-05-28T18:33:53.472Z
tags: ["science"]
reading_time: 2
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# Attack Of The Atomic Oxygen

**[Hackaday](https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit poses a significant but often overlooked threat to spacecraft materials. Unlike deep-space probes, objects in LEO like the ISS fly through a thin atmosphere where UV radiation splits O2 into highly reactive single oxygen atoms. These atoms erode carbon-based polymers, degrade composites, and roughen optical surfaces — with damage concentrated on the forward-facing side of spacecraft. NASA has studied this by mounting material sample trays outside the ISS. Mitigation strategies include over-engineering for mission objectives and applying protective coatings like silicon dioxide or aluminum oxide. Very low-orbit satellites face even greater exposure due to higher atmospheric density.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://hackaday.com/2026/05/28/attack-of-the-atomic-oxygen>

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