  Free-electron lasers (FELs) opened a new window on imaging the motion of
atoms and molecules. At SLAC, FEL experiments are performed at LCLS using 120
Hz pulses with 10^12 to 10^13 photons in 10 fs (billions of times brighter than
at the most powerful synchrotrons). Concurrently, users and staff operate under
high pressure due to flexible and often rapidly changing setups and low
tolerance for system malfunction. This extreme detection environment raises
unique challenges, from obvious to surprising, and leads to treating detectors
as consumables. We discuss in detail the detector damage mechanisms observed in
7 years of operation at LCLS, together with the corresponding damage mitigation
strategies and their effectiveness. Main types of damage mechanisms already
identified include: (1) x-ray radiation damage (from "catastrophic" to
"classical"), (2) direct and indirect damage caused by optical lasers, (3)
sample induced damage, (4) vacuum related damage, (5) high-pressure
environment. In total, 19 damage mechanisms have been identified. We also
present general strategies for reducing damage risk or minimizing the impact of
detector damage on the science program. These include availability of
replacement parts and skilled operators and also careful planning, incident
investigation resulting in updated designs, procedures and operator training.
