Percussive Scoop Sampling in Extreme Terrain

Abstract

Axel is a minimalistic cliff climbing rover that can explore extreme terrains from the moon, Mars, and beyond. To increase the technology readiness and scientific usability of Axel, a sampling system needs to be designed and build for sampling different rock and soils. To decrease the amount of force required to sample clumpy and possibly icy science targets, a percussive scoop could be used. A percussive scoop uses repeated impact force to dig into samples and a rotary actuation to collect the samples. Percussive scooping can reduce the amount of downward force required by about two to four times depending on the cohesion of the soil and the depth of the sampling. The goal for this project is to build a working prototype of a percussive scoop for Axel.