  All material exposed to interplanetary space conditions are subject to
degradation processes. For obvious reasons there is a great interest to study
these processes for materials that are used in satellite construction. However,
also the influence of particle and electromagnetic radiation on the weathering
of extraterrestrial rocks and on organic and biological tissues is the research
topic of various scientific disciplines. To strengthen the comprehensive and
systematic investigation of degradation processes a new laboratory, the complex
irradiation facility (CIF), has been designed, set up, tested, and put into
operation at the DLR-Institute of Space Systems in Bremen (Germany). The CIF
allows the simultaneous irradiation with three light sources and with a dual
beam irradiation system for the bombardment of materials with electrons and
protons having energies up to 100 keV. It is eminently suitable to perform a
large variety of irradiation procedures that are similar to those which appear
at different distances to the Sun. This paper is devoted to potential users in
order to inform them about the capabilities of the CIF.
