A Review of Solid Lubrication for Space Application

The application of solid lubrication in spacecraft, satellite, space station and space transportation system was summarised in this paper, and the present situation of researches, including reducing the friction and wear of the space machinery parts, increasing the lifetime, improving the resistance to high and low temperature, and the adaptation of materials to cosmos gas, vacuum stability and their storage were also evaluated in detail. The future developing tendency of this field was predicted. It was indicated that the space tribology research will proceed alone the direction of lubrication specialization and the composite effect of solid lubricants would play an important role in resolving lubrication problems for space machinery.