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Deep Drilling and Sampling via the Wireline Auto-Gopher Driven by Piezoelectric Percussive Actuator and EM Rotary MotorThe ability to penetrate subsurfaces and perform sample acquisition at depths of meters is critical for future NASA in-situ exploration missions to bodies in the solar system, including Mars and Europa. A corer/sampler was developed with the goal of acquiring pristine samples by reaching depths on Mars beyond the oxidized and sterilized zone. To developed rotary-hammering coring drill, called Auto-Gopher, employs a piezoelectric actuated percussive mechanism for breaking formations and an electric motor rotates the bit to remove the powdered cuttings. This sampler is a wireline mechanism that is incorporated with an inchworm mechanism allowing thru cyclic coring and core removal to reach great depths. The penetration rate is being optimized by simultaneously activating the percussive and rotary motions of the Auto-Gopher. The percussive mechanism is based on the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) mechanism that is driven by piezoelectric stack and that was demonstrated to require low axial preload. The Auto-Gopher has been produced taking into account the a lessons learned from the development of the Ultrasonic/Sonic Gopher that was designed as a percussive ice drill and was demonstrated in Antarctica in 2005 to reach about 2 meters deep. A field demonstration of the Auto-Gopher is currently being planned with objective of reaching as deep as 3 to 5 meters in tufa subsurface.
Document ID
20130000270
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Bar-Cohen, Yoseph
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Badescu, Mircea
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Sherrit, Stewart
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Zacny, Kris
(Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corp. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Paulsen, Gale L
(Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corp. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Beegle, Luther
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Bao, Xiaoqi
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 27, 2013
Publication Date
March 12, 2012
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials/NDE Symposium
Location: San Diego, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: March 10, 2012
End Date: March 14, 2012
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Auto-Gopher
drilling
deep drilling
Auto-Gopher

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