Experimental Design

Experimental Design

Preliminary: Sample Collection
Drill

The drill will be used to obtain a core sample of the underground rock layers on Mars. Such a core will enable us to study the present underground rock compositions, and give us clues to the recent geological past on Mars.

The drill will be 100 meters deep, and will have a 2cm diameter core. Recent observations of data from the MOC-camera on the Mars Global Surveyor suggest the presence of water outflows that are hypothized to originate 100 m underground (Malin, et.al. 2000), see image below.

Malin Space Science Systems, 2000

The rotary air blast mechanism will be used to drill. This is a simple and economic technique that is suited for depths of up to 100 meters. The mass estimate for this drilling technology is 200 kg. It will be deployed by two human operators using the transportation rover.

Foraco Drilling Company, 2000

Drilling Specifications

The drill will be a rotary-air-blast drill, capable of reaching a depth of about 100 meters.
It will weigh less than 200 kg.
It will be modular, so that it can be split among four MTS trailers on the rover and assembled on-site.
It will be powered from the rover supply while the rover is stationary, and thus be able to use up to 800 W of power.

Drilling References
Hawaiian Scientific Drilling Project

Companies Specializing in Geological Drilling
RRindfuss Drilling
Foraco
Environmental Mechanics
Falcon GDP, Inc.