Monitoring Contamination and Component Cleaning for the Hubble Space Telescope

A program was developed for a large aerospace project to monitor airborne particulates and hydrocarbon levels in assembly facilities, to perform quantitative analyses of resultant fallout, and to assess its influence on system performance. This paper discusses the rationale for the varied instrumentation and analytical concepts which provide the basis for this responsive and sensitive monitoring program. In addition, a cleaning process is detailed with its primary consideration given to materials configuration, options for solvent selection, cleaning techniques and cleanliness verification.