NASA Regolith Collector

grabcad

This simple concept consists of aluminum and plastic parts designed for use on a robotic arm. The current design uses laser-cut sheet metal held together by nuts and bolts, but spot welding could make it lighter and simpler. Aluminum rods and joints may also reduce weight. Plastic parts include the sample container holder and compaction assembly. Regolith extraction occurs through a tube with an internal screw, filtered through holes in a cylinder. Larger particles over 2 cm pass the filter and fall off the back of the tube. Filtered regolith is separated by dust then particles under 2 cm into a hopper/chute and falls into the sample container. The compaction assembly uses a holder suspended by 4 tension springs, compacted by a vibration motor for desired results. The cylinder/tube rotates via a stepper motor (Nema 14 bipolar), consuming 3.75 W; downsizing is possible with less torque needed. A brushed DC vibration motor (approximately 1.5 W) powers the assembly, total power under 6 W. The compaction assembly ensures fine/loose regolith and rocks under 2 cm are packed in the sample container until mass and volume requirements are met. Samples only contact aluminum components, and a front stopper collects samples from upper 10 cm of lunar regolith. A camera can view the sample or reject it if undesirable, allowing the assembly to move to a new location. Collection takes minutes and is unaffected by temperature or hard vacuum. Power comes from the robotic arm's electrical connector, with the tube emptied by reversing the screw direction when done. Thank you, NASA, and GrabCad for this design exercise; good luck to all participants! If you like my concept, please click 'Like.' Check out my other entry: NASA Simplified Collector.