FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2021
CONTACT: Nick Kolar
Business Development Manager
616-540-5894
Schatz Space Bearings Support Mars Perseverance Rover Mission
Schatz Bearing Corporation, based in Poughkeepsie, NY, has been a manufacturer of bearings for over 100 years. From its AS9100 and Nadcap certified facility, Schatz provides bearings and custom components for a wide range of industries and applications, including mission-critical Space operations.
Most recently, Schatz Bearing supplied two duplex-sets of Thin-Section bearing designs for use in an articulating arm application for the Perseverance Rover, which landed successfully on Mars on February 18, 2021. The mission of Perseverance is to investigate signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (loose rocky material) for a possible return to Earth. Perseverance was launched on July 30, 2020, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet.
NASA Perseverance Rover’s Precision Thin Section Bearings Provide Crucial Support to its Robotic Arm
The 7-foot-long robotic arm has shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, working much like a human arm. The turret “hand” holds and maneuvers instruments that assist scientists and geologists to get up-close when examining the rocks and soil on the planet. Flexibility is required so that a variety of angles can be achieved to analyze elemental composition microscopically in the field.
The Thin-Section bearings were designed by Schatz for optimal stiffness and stabilized for operation at -280 degrees Fahrenheit (-173˚C). Thin-Section bearings, such as the ones included on NASA’s Perseverance Rover, provide strict preload control for optimal torque and rigidity, using a wide variety of cage designs and materials to reduce friction, and precision.
Schatz Bearings are Essential Components in Many Space Applications
Schatz’ Space bearings can be designed to operate in a vacuum environment, have been used in reaction wheels and gimbal instruments, indexing applications, actuation systems, optical imaging applications, radar, satellite, and general space equipment. With design options from a variety of leading-edge materials, space-specific cleaning processes, and special processing to minimize grind tears, their bearings are essential components in many applications destined for Space.
Schatz is proud and excited to support Perseverance’s mission to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars in this unique and integral way.
About Schatz Bearing Corporation
New York-based Schatz Bearing Corporation is a world-recognized manufacturing leader of the highest-quality precision bearings and linear motion products. Its products can be found in many applications, including the aerospace, space, defense, and automotive industries. The company is known for its innovation and adherence to industry-leading quality in bearing manufacturing. All of the products produced in their Poughkeepsie facility meet or exceed AS9100 Rev. C and ISO9001:2008 standards. With their vast experience and expertise, they have engineered numerous specialized solutions for specific industry applications.
