Tribolab: An experiment on space tribology

Abstract

The accurate knowledge of the com:pIex behavior of lubricant systems, both solid and liquid, is a fundamental requirement for the reliable operation in orbit of spacecraft mechanisms. Modem spacecraft, of all types, proliferate with mechanisms whose predictable operation is mandatory. In flight a spacecraft mechanism must develop its function under a quite hostile environment, which is made up mainly by space radiation, extreme thermal conditions, vacuum, atomic oxygen and mechanical effects like microvibrations. All those conditions are impossible to simulate simultaneously on ground. Some tribometers flown in the past in order to correlate the flight and ground tests results showed a good correlation of data for simple friction and wear of bulk materials and surface coatings. Nevertheless, new promising materials and processes, never flown before, will be implemented in the experiment to know its behavior against the above mentioned environment and laying stress in }igravity conditions.