At 06:15 PM 1/1/2016, Douglas wrote:
What sort of corrosion would you have in space?
Would a sheet of iron rust in a near earth orbit? If so how long would it take compared to at ocean level on the earth?

--
Douglas E Knapp, MSAOM, LAc.

Douglas,

My first reaction was "What - no oxygen, no oxidation!" but after doing a bit of looking, found a couple of links that suggest oxidation will occur because, at least in LEO (i.e. from around 100 miles out to about 1200 or so miles altitude) there's enough oxygen, particularly atomic oxygen, to make corrosion a concern, especially as there's relatively little atmosphere to protect things from .  Apparently a major failing in early satellites was corrosion of the stainless steel bearings; new satellites seem to have them gold-coated to protect from this.  Here're a few links that discuss it to one degree or another (I provide the links; I neither vouch for them nor defend them):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion_in_space

https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/236ezw/does_metal_tarnishcorroderust_in_space/   (This one has some relatively academic links to support it though I've not explored all of 'em)

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15520981.600-space-is-corrosive/ (a 1997 link cited in the previous link that's pretty interesting)

http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/4154/would-unpainted-iron-or-steel-rust-in-space (comments on this one ramble a bit but they generally get to the same conclusion as the first link)

Enjoy!

<Returning to lurk mode>

Bill Rutherford
xxxxxx@comcast.net