PlanetVac: Pneumatic regolith sampling system

This paper describes a PlanetVac mission concept utilizing a pneumatic system for sample acquisition and delivery, and the design and testing of a prototype system. The lander uses sampling tubes embedded within each lander foot pad. Each tube can deliver in excess of 20 grams of regolith and small rocks directly into science instruments or a sample return spacecraft for earth return. To demonstrate this mission approach, a small lander with four legs and two sampling tubes has been designed, built, and tested. Testing has been performed in vacuum chamber and with two planetary simulants: Mars Mojave Simulant (MMS) and lunar regolith simulant JSC-1A. One sampling system was connected to an earth return rocket while the second sampling system was connected to a deck mounted instrument inlet port. Demonstrations included a drop from a height of ~50 cm onto the bed of regolith, deployment of sampling tubes, acquisition of regolith into an instrument (sample container) and the rocket, and the launch of the rocket. In all tests, approximately 20 grams of sample has been delivered to the regolith box and approximately 5 grams of regolith has been delivered into a rocket. The gas efficiency was calculated to be approximately 1000:1; that is 1 gram of gas lofted 1000 grams of regolith.