The IMCPSE-4 meeting continued the discussions started in 1992 when this conference series was started. The proceedings of IMCPSE-4 conference contain the latest developments in the area of the effects of the space environment on materials and structures in the low Earth orbit and on ways to prevent and/or reduce them. The main mandate of the meeting, as in the past years was to: * promote the dissemination of experimental data and experience among research organizations, and scientists gathered in ground and flight experiments; * provide a tool for engineers, material scientists, ...