RASSOR Concept

grabcad

Lunar soil has a composition dominated by iron-rich meteoric debris, lunar basalt, and minerals inherent to the regolith. A proposed model leverages the iron content of the soil using electromagnets on the bucket wheel to "capture" the iron-rich soil in an electromagnetic field. Testing with powdered terrestrial basalt as an analog for lunar basalt shows that a magnetic field's attraction effectively retains the material (regolith_analog_test.jpg). The drum concept features scoops paired with two storage bins, each equipped with high magnetic permeability material to induce a strong magnetic field across the entire diameter of the bin and maximize capture efficiency. An electromagnet is attached to the endcap of each bin. To collect lunar soil, material is gathered through the scoop while powering the electromagnet, drawing the material into the storage bins and potentially compacting it for high-density collection. Unloading occurs by disabling the electromagnet and reversing the drum's rotation.