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 caused the paint dot on the clamp blocks located at the centers of the experiment tray upper and left flange to change from their original white color to a light tan on the upper flange and a dark brown on the left flange. The experiment tray left flange appears to be discolored with a brown stain. The Space Debris Impact Experiment consists of two (2) three sixteenth (3/16th) inch thick chromic anodized aluminum panels mounted in a three (3) inch deep peripheral LDEF experiment tray. The side of the panels exposed to the LDEF interior are painted black 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 pink and/or greenish-gray tints and the horizontal stripes on the two debris panels are by-products of the chromic anodize coating process and are not attributed to exposure to the space environment. The blue color component that makes the discolorations on the panels appear more vivid is a reflection of deep space and not a true change in surface color. The brown irregular shaped discolorations along the center edges of the debris panels appear to be fingerprints from prelaunch handling. The black unit located on the top panel is a keel camera target used during the berthing of the LDEF. The color of the stripes and the tip of the vertical rod appear darker than in the prelaunch photograph. The light band across the top panel is reflected light from the tray sidewall and the dark band down the right side of the panels is a shadow from the tray sidewall
