{"type":"video","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Dailymotion","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com","title":"Can a Labyrinth Seal Help Keep Space Lubricant in Place?","description":"Spacecraft bearings need lubricant at their rolling contacts, but lubricant that leaves the contact can migrate toward sensitive surfaces. Surface creep and evaporation are different processes. A non-contact labyrinth seal makes the route more difficult without rubbing against the shaft. In the 2025 vacuum-rig experiment, the SHORT, LONG and STEP geometries measured lubricant mass-loss rates of 4.35, 3.41 and 2.73 mg\/h. In that setup, STEP measured about 37% less mass loss than SHORT. These are results for one laboratory configuration\u2014not a bearing-life guarantee or a flight result. ESA\u2019s May 2026 report described a 3U CubeSat validation planned for late 2027; that was a plan, not a completed flight test. Study credit: Josef Pouzar, David Kostal, Lars-G\u00f6ran Westerberg and Ivan Krupka, ESMATS 2025. NASA\u2019s cited mechanism standard applies within its stated scope. Chapters: 00:00 Title \/ Chapter 01 \u2014 A moving shaft, a vanishing film 01:38 The bearing carries a load through a small contact 02:47 Vacuum changes where molecules can travel 04:15 Lubricant loss has two destinations 05:46 Engineers choose the lubricant for the job 07:13 A barrier and a reservoir do different jobs 08:35 A non-contact barrier protects without touching 09:46 Why a stepped path changes the route 11:05 The vacuum rig weighs what leaves 12:40 Three shapes, three measured rates 14:07 Other test conditions change the picture 16:17 Qualification is about the whole mechanism 17:49 From the laboratory toward orbit 18:44 Keep the lubricant useful Sources and further reading: https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Enabling_Support\/Preparing_for_the_Future\/Discovery_and_Preparation\/Keeping_Space_Mechanisms_Lubricated https:\/\/standards.nasa.gov\/standard\/NASA\/NASA-STD-5017 https:\/\/standards.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/standards\/NASA\/B\/2022-12-06-NASA-STD-5017B-Approved.pdf https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Enabling_Support\/Space_Engineering_Technology\/Science_of_friction_keeping_things_moving_in_space https:\/\/www.esmats.eu\/esmatspapers\/pastpapers\/pdfs\/2025\/pouzar.pdf https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.vacuum.2025.114434 Produced by GreenSpacealien. Find us on: Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61594406836899 Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/greenbigspacealien15\/ X: https:\/\/x.com\/GreenSpacealie TikTok: https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@greenbigspace15 Reddit: https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/GreenSpacealien15\/ Dailymotion: https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/user\/green.hbw590 Pinterest: https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/greenbigspacealien15\/ Rumble: https:\/\/rumble.com\/user\/greenspacealien15 Threads: https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@greenbigspacealien15 Bluesky: https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/greenspacealien15.bsky.social Watch the full film: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cajKJgOk35U","author_name":"Green Space","author_url":"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/green.hbw590","width":480,"height":269,"html":"