Soldering in Space

Here is an extract showing a very interesting phenomenon that occurs when soldering in space. Mike Fincke, on the International Space Station (ISS) shows how heated solder and rosin flux behaves in space. As a professional, he has taken safety precautions by wearing gloves and goggles. In this educational video you can clearly see that solder spits, hence it is always a good idea to take these precautions. When the solder melts, the rosin flux separates away and orbits around the solder. The speed with which the rosin rotates depends upon the heat applied.

Soldering PCBs in Space

In space, soldering is not as simple as on Earth. Here is a NASA photograph showing some matrix boards soldered in space. I wonder who the astronauts were, and how difficult it was for them to make this... NASA is researching into finding the best soldering technology to use in space because solder does not behave the same way in space as it does on Earth.

It is very important for astronauts to be able to solder and repair equipment in space. Sending anything up into space is expensive and weight is a big issue. Sending electronics spare parts in space adds a huge overhead to a mission because many parts are not used. Consequently, it works out more economical to send a limited supply of commonly used components instead of PCBs. However sending components will mean being able to solder in space, and that means research into the Physics of soldering in zero gravity.

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