NanoDrill: 1 Actuator Core Acquisition System

We propose to design, build and test a 1 kg, single actuator, sample acquisition drill. The drill uses a novel method of core or powder acquisition. The core acquisition bit can be used for either a rock core, icy-soil or loose regolith acquisition. The continued development of robust sample acquisition and handling tools is of critical importance to future robotic and human missions to Mars, the Moon, Asteroids, and other planetary bodies. For these missions, consolidated or unconsolidated core samples (as opposed to, say, scooped regolith or collected drill cuttings) are of particular interest.

Future robotic astrobiology and geology missions such as Mars Sample Return, Venus In Situ Explorer, Comet Sample Return, South Pole Aitken Basin Sample Return missions will benefit greatly from the ability to produce and capture rock and regolith cores, using a compact, low mass, low power device, and hermetically seal the samples in dedicated containers. A system utilizing a surface drill and a suite of bits for different applications could be deployed during lunar and asteroid sortie missions by astronauts (i.e., hand held coring drill) since it is more manageable to bring small cores back as opposed to large rocks.

Scientists often use small drills to acquire core samples for the study of everything from geological classification to ocean drilling and surveying. Traditionally, petroleum engineers will use large cores to extract information about boundaries between sandstone, limestone, and shale. This process is time consuming so smaller cores are sometimes taken. This method of sampling is called sidewall coring and provides more information to the petroleum engineer than simply logged data. Scientists studying earthquake mechanics could also benefit in a similar fashion. Automation of this process would save time and money; enabling the science goals of the research with reduced schedule and budget risk/impact. The arm-deployed coring tool also has applications in the study of terrestrial biology, such as coring into rocks in the Arctic and Antarctic, among other desirable locations.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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