Honeybee Robotics (United States)

Martian subterranean glacier ice is a valuable resource that could provide the water required for in situ life support and rocket fuel production. Rodriguez Well technology has been proposed as a means to access and extract this glacial ice. To investigate the energy requirements and efficiency of a thermal drill for Martian Rodriguez Well borehole creation, a scaled-down, simplified version of a Rodriguez Well melting drill bit was developed and tested in Martian atmospheric conditions. The small thermal probe was drilled into clear ice with two different actuation methods: gravity-driven actuation and motor-driven actuation. Thermal energy analysis of the resulting data shows that the average minimum specific energy for effective thermal drilling is 0.48±0.09 Wh/cm3 in Martian conditions, which is over an order of magnitude greater than mechanical drilling energy expenditure in similar conditions. However, maintaining a borehole pressure above Martian atmospheric pressure (>9 torr) halves the energy expenditure of the thermal drilling process, which could be used to improve the performance and energy efficiency of thermal drilling on Mars.

Due to its small particle size, nanoparticle (NPs) and and microparticles (μPs) could reside in the air for a long time affecting human health and the environment. Understanding of its sources and dynamics in the atmosphere remains a complex challenge since direct observations are limited. Ice cores drilled from glaciers around the world contain records of atmospheric composition over time. Single particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (spICP-TOFMS) is uniquely capable of quickly (in ~10 minutes) measuring the estimated mass equivalent size distribution, number concentration, and elemental chemical composition (up to 70 elements excluding O, H, N, F, and the noble gases) of more than 100,000 individual insoluble mineral NPs and μPs using

PlumeCAS is an all-in-one sample capture, volatile metering, and Capillary Absorption Spectrometer (CAS) system that can make sensitive isotopic and abundance measurements of H2O, CO2, CH4, and C2H6 in Enceladus’ plume to aid in the search for life. The instrument accumulates gaseous and icy phases during plume flythroughs in an aerogel and indium collector that preserves the integrity of small organics. The flight system would leverage a heritage hermetic sealing design to contain that sample, and a volatile metering system delivers aliquots to the CAS for analysis. There, hydrogen and carbon isotopic ratios of H<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>O and CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> are measured to generate a baseline against which to compare isotopic ratios in CH<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</inf>. PlumeCAS will also determine the abundances of CH<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</inf> and C<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>H<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</inf> to generate a CH<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</inf>/C<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>H<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</inf> abundance ratio. These isotopic and abundance indicators are among the best-understood biosignatures available for measurement in Enceladus plume material. This analysis is nondestructive, and therefore the system has the potential to have additional gas analysis instruments added in series with the CAS. In this paper we describe the scientific motivation for the instrument, the breadboard hardware development and test campaign that validated this concept to TRL 4, and future work that may be done to better prepare the system for flight.

We describe the recent progress and development of a compressed CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> hard rock drill for Mars that is intended to facilitate the extraction and retrieval of deep, subsurface samples. A deep drill system is necessary to access lacustrine deposits dating from the Mars Noachian geologic period that is thought to have had an abundance of surface water, conducive to the possible presence of microbial life. We describe the science goals that determine drill depth and extraction system objectives, impact tower testing needed to define performance, the function of a Down-The-Hole (DTH) drill bit, and proposed system level mechanisms. Recent prototyping, testing, and results are reported.

Abstract The freezing point of water is negatively dependent on pressure; therefore in any ocean without external forcing it is warmest at the surface and grows colder with depth. Below floating ice on Earth (e.g., ice shelves or sea ice), this pressure dependence combines with gradients in the ice draft to drive an ice redistribution process termed the “ice pump”: submerged ice melts, upwells, and then refreezes at shallower depths. Ice pumping is an exchange process between the ocean and overhead ice that results in unique ice compositions and textures and influences the distribution of sub‐ice habitats on Earth. Here, we scale recent observations from Earth's ice shelves to planetary conditions and find that ice pumping is expected for a wide range of possible sub‐ice shell pressures and salinity at other ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus. We show how ice pumping would affect hypothetical basal ice shell topography and ice thickness under varying ocean conditions and demonstrate how remote sensing of the ice shell draft can be used to estimate temperature gradients in the upper ocean ahead of in situ exploration. For example, the approximately 22 km gradient observed in Enceladus' ice shell draft between the south pole and the equator suggests a temperature differential of 0.18 K at the base of the ice shell. These concepts can extend the interpretation of observations from upcoming ocean world missions, and link ice shell topography to ice‐ocean material exchange processes that may prove important to overall ocean world habitability.

With the current Artemis missions planned, by 2028, NASA and its international and commercial partners may be establishing a permanent presence at the lunar South pole. The Artemis Base Camp will be the locus of international and public-private collaboration under the Artemis Accords, helping to bootstrap a lunar economy. As the lunar economy grows, traffic of people and goods will grow with it. Thus, we envision that NASA and its international and commercial partners will have increasing long-term needs for producing metal from in situ resources such as lunar regolith. These metals can be used to produce many end products on the moon including large pressure vessels, both for spacious habitats and industrial-scale storage and operations. In this paper, as a part of the NASA 2023 BIG Idea Challenge ’Lunar Forge: Producing Metal Products on the Moon’, we design and manufacture a molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) reactor capable of producing various alloys of steel and other metal products from lunar regolith, with oxygen as a useful byproduct. We have built ARTEMIS Steelworks (Advancing Reactor Technologies for Electrolytic Manufacturing of In situ Steel), which consists of an electrolytic reactor, supporting the addition of alloying elements to produce molten steel from lunar regolith simulant. To prepare for a lunar technology demonstration, a preliminary test of the reaction on Earth was performed in a vacuum, a sonicator was tested to dislodge oxygen bubbles from the anode to increase electrode life, and an automated iron and slag collector was made to reduce the need for astronaut operation. The project’s technical objectives are to demonstrate steel-making capability while also quantifying energy efficiency, steel quality, and the expected useful life of the electrodes and vessel under different configurations relative to the state of the art. The comprehensive testing plan presented here includes functional subsystem and integrated testing in ambient conditions; automation capabilities; and validation of the main output, steel alloys, using tests and simulations to confirm their suitability for the intended primary end-use of large steel pressure vessels. Through the demonstration of the MRE reactor and the demonstration and characterization of alternative steel alloys, we aim to show the utility of the proposed technology to the lunar exploration goals of NASA and its international and commercial partners.

Honeybee’s RedWater system is being developed as an in situ resource utilization (ISRU) approach to mining glacial ice on Mars. Our investigation addresses the environmental and geological considerations vital for system success (e.g., site latitude, ice purity, nature of impurities, and constraints on overburden). We will present an assessment of several site locales suitable for the implementation of the RedWater system using existing orbital spacecraft data. A combination of radar sounding, imagery, and other data at landing-site scales will enable constraints to be placed on the thickness, properties, and distribution of ice resources and overburden.

Honeybee Robotics is developing a next generation drilling system called SMART (Sensing, Measurement, Analysis, and Reconnaissance Tool) for lunar in situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications. SMART is a rotary percussive drill mounted on a linear stage, similar to The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploration of New Terrains (TRIDENT) that is flying to the Moon in 2022 and 2023. Unlike TRIDENT, which uses the auger to move drill cuttings up to the surface for analysis, the SMART auger and bit assembly is integrated with instruments that can perform analysis in situ. By instrumenting the auger, we are changing the paradigm of exploration—we are bringing an instrument to the sample as opposed to bringing the sample to an instrument. The auger will now be an instrument with sample analysis capabilities. Honeybee Robotics has designed and fabricated a prototype for SMART and is adapting an existing rotary percussive drill called RANCOR to be used to conduct tests in a relevant lunar environment.

A main goal of human space exploration is to develop humanity into a multi-planet species where civilization extends beyond planet Earth. Establishing a self-sustaining human presence on Mars is key to achieving this goal. In situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars is a critical component to enabling humans on Mars to both establish long-term outposts and become self-reliant. This article focuses on a mission architecture using the SpaceX Starship as cargo and crew vehicles for the journey to Mars. The first Starships flown to Mars will be uncrewed and will provide unprecedented opportunities to deliver ∼100 metric tons of cargo to the martian surface per mission and conduct robotic precursor work to enable a sustained and self-reliant human presence on Mars. We propose that the highest priority activities for early uncrewed Starships include pre-placement of supplies, developing infrastructure, testing of key technologies, and conducting resource prospecting to map and characterize water ice for future ISRU purposes.

The Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) is an instrument concept being developed for the Europa Lander mission currently under study. EMILI will meet and exceed the scientific and technical/resource requirements of the organic composition analyzer identified as a core instrument on the Lander. EMILI tightly couples two complementary analytical techniques, based on 1) liquid extraction and processing with capillary electrophoresis and 2) thermal and chemical extraction with gas chromatography, to robustly detect, structurally characterize, and quantify the broadest range of organics and other Europan chemicals over widely-varying concentrations. Dual processing and analysis paths enable EMILI to perform a thorough characterization of potential molecular biosignatures and contextual compounds in collected surface samples. Here we present a summary of the requirements, design, and development status of EMILI with projected scientific opportunities on the Europa Lander as well as on other potential life detection missions seeking potential molecular biosignatures in situ.