Out of this World Sensors and Heaters
Out of this World Sensors and Heaters
When it comes to some of the most challenging environments known and even unknown to man, there can be few locations that are as challenging as the moon. So, when Okazaki was challenged with delivering heaters and sensors for the NASA Mars Curiosity Rover, this certainly presented a worthy proposition.
At Okazaki, we’ve always understood that our valued clients across the globe require extreme levels of product reliability. We know that time is money, and any impact on production or service can result in serious implications both financially and regarding safety. We also know that our clients appreciate that world-class quality is our benchmark.
For the purpose of the NASA Mars Curiosity Rover, NASA opted to use Micropak heaters in order to heat the sampling tubes inside the vehicle. The challenge here was to benefit from greater flexibility when space is particularly paramount. With a small bend radius as a ratio to the outside diameter of heater, the units proved flexible thanks to their ability to be coiled and freely formed into complex and desired shapes.
As part of their investigations, demands on working in an extreme temperature range were certainly met thanks to the operating range of -200 to 500°C which can be achieved by the Micropak heaters.
A further benefit to the project was that the Micropak heater has the same diameter hot and cold sections. Also, it has no external join which reduces the risk of mechanical joint failure while at the same time as being suitable for being installed in vacuum sealing flanges.
At Okazaki, our engineers and developers are constantly looking to use the latest technical advances to improve the efficiency and safety of our products. For more info on how our heating and temperature sensors can be used in extreme working environments, please contact Leona Lilford