USG

US robotics company Honeybee Robotics has started field testing of its Planetary Deep Drill system at USG’s Plaster City gypsum quarry in Salton Sea, California, US, to prepare it for Mars exploration programme.

The drill is said to be designed as a lightweight and portable, which will reach deep below the surface of icy formations in the Martian polar caps, Enceladus or Europa.

The gypsum quarry, where the field trial of planetary deep drill is taking place, is a rock formation with similar cryogenic ice conditions found on Mars, Enceladus, Europa and other planets, making it suitable for drilling for future planetary missions.

We’ve worked closely with our partners at Honeybee Robotics to identify the ideal Mars-like environment for field testing."

During the process, Honeybee aims to drill depths of 100ft into the gypsum quarry, which is deeper than previously conducted drills. It will also be equipped with humidity and temperature sensors, as well as a microscope for imaging particles.

The test further focuses to review the role of planetary deep drill and offer data for improvements in future.

USG geotechnical and mining services director Roger Sharpe said: "We’ve worked closely with our partners at Honeybee Robotics to identify the ideal Mars-like environment for field testing."

The planetary deep drill is developed with the support of the Planetary Society and American Museum of Natural History, which is expected to help select instruments for the Mars2020 mission.

Planetary Society science and technology director Bruce Betts said: "Autonomous, robotic drilling on other worlds is no easy task. The first planetary deep drill field tests are an important step towards a future when we can get at a wealth of science questions by drilling deep into planetary ices.

"In the future, Planetary Deep Drill could allow us to look back in time by drilling the layers of the Martian polar caps, or learn more about the possible subsurface oceans on Europa or Enceladus."

Image: Honeybee starts planetary deep drill in Plaster City gypsum quarry. Photo: courtesy of Honeybee Robotics.