• Question: do electronic components need any alteration if they are to function in a 0-g enviroment

    Asked by kron to Andrew, Hina on 19 Jun 2018. This question was also asked by Saboor.
    • Photo: Andrew Margetts-Kelly

      Andrew Margetts-Kelly answered on 19 Jun 2018:

      No components need altering to work in zero-gravity. However there are some little ways that we do things differently to the components compared to those that go in your phone for example.

      —
      Some components we cannot fly in space because they’ll break. So, we sometimes need to find alternatives because the radiation will kill them and replace them with parts that will survive the radiation.
      Some components had Gold plated legs, we need to remove this Gold because it makes the solder joints too brittle to survive launch.
      We have to coat all our electronics in special resin so that tin whiskers will not grow and short out the circuits.
      Some components can only be packaged in “hermetically sealed” carriers because they need the air pressure or a vacuum inside to work properly.

Comments