Miniature Bearings Play a Major Role in Mars 2020 Mission

摘要

As NASA prepares for the launch of its newest Mars rover in 2020, Timken engineers have designed and tested its miniature precision bearings for the project, as they have for every Mars rover the United States has landed to date. Timken solutions will be given the ultimate test when they launch into orbit. NASA's most recent rover, Curiosity, entered space in 2011 and continues to traverse the Red Planet eight years later. The success of the $2.5-billion project hinges greatly on the performance of miniature components, including Timken 1/4" (6.35 mm) radial ball bearings. Timken precision bearings keep critical components of the rovers functioning properly - from the descent system used to reach the surface of Mars, to its carousel system to collect environmental samples, to its small vacuum pump for sample analysis. To prepare for the 2020 launch, NASA tasked Timken aerospace bearing design experts with creating bearings that not only could properly function on a different planet, but also could endure 140 million miles of spaceflight before arriving at their destination. Timken specialists used proprietary SYBER modeling software to replicate the bearings' radial and axial load conditions, ensuring the bearings could perform in high-speed end-use applications over the course of many years.