Evolution of a Mini Coring Tool for Sample Acquisition

THE Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as part of its Exploration Surface Mobility (ESM) project have been developing ISRU specific tools capable of utilization at the end of a robotic manipulator arm. The tools, which include a 2 meter 7 DOF arm and a 1.5 m 6 DOF arm, are: a microscope, a mini corer sampler, a Power Socket Wrench Tool, a vibrating Scoop and a robotic hand, are intended to be housed in a Tool Holster on a mobility chassis. The Mini Corer is a two-piece tool designed for use as a manipulator arm deployed sample acquisition and storage system. The Mini Corer system consists of a drill unit, attached as an end effector on a robotic manipulator arm, and a sample handling unit, mounted on a rover chassis. The Drill Unit is deployed and stabilized during operations by a robotic arm, thus the reaction forces, which must be absorbed by the arm, must be minimized. This precludes the use of rotation only coring and requires the use of percussive assist in the drilling. This percussion is imparted using a top hammer concept, already well proven in the mining industry. The Sample Handling Unit is mounted on the rover chassis and provides a method for storage and encapsulation of the drill rods and acquired samples. It is a simple carousel system with 10 storage slots as well as a storage location for a Rock Abrasion Tool, essentially another drill rod with a closed face bit. Sample acquisition and handling takes on a primary role of maintaining sample integrity for loosely consolidated material. This paper will present the development of the Mini Coring Tool as manipulator deployed system.