4 ms·

These reaction wheels have such a high failure rate. Is it a fundamental Tribology problem? edit I see they think it was a software issue but I still wonder a

• opwieurposiu 5y ago
  One failure mode is static electricity build up leading to arc discharge and pitting the bearing races. Also, the vacuum tends to make the bearing grease evaporate. Back in the 60's they used spermaceti, maybe we should go back to that? https://est-aegis.info/2018/08/in-space-no-one-can-hear-your-bearings-fail/ https://est-aegis.info/2018/08/in-space-no-one-can-hear-your...
  • nitrogen 5y ago
    I'd wager that modern synthetic oils could beat whale oil, but now I'm curious what the state of the art is.
• outworlder 5y ago
  High failure rate? This particular spacecraft is 19 year old. There was a string of reaction wheel failures in the past that were tracked to a single supplier (forgot exactly what the issue was, but I think it was some contaminant). Regardless, it's a device that has to continuously spin at high speeds, in space. It's actually remarkable that they survive for as long as they do.