LunarVader: Development and Testing of Lunar Drill in Vacuum Chamber and in Lunar Analog Site of Antarctica

Future exploration of the Moon will require access to the subsurface and acquisition of samples for scientific analysis and ground truthing of water-ice and mineral reserves for in situ resource utilization purposes. The LunarVader drill described in this paper is a 1-m class drill and cuttings acquisition system enabling subsurface exploration of the Moon. The drill employs rotary-percussive action, which reduces the weight on bit and energy consumption. This drilling approach has been successfully used by previous lunar missions, such as the Soviet Luna 16, 20, and 24, and United States Apollo 15, 16, and 17. These missions and drilling systems are described in detail. The passive sample acquisition system of the LunarVader drill delivers cuttings directly into a sample cup or an instrument inlet port. The drill was tested in a vacuum chamber and penetrated various formations, such as a water-saturated lunar soil simulant (JSC-1A) at −80°C, water-ice, and rocks to a depth of 1 m. The system was ...