NanoDrill: 1 Actuator Core Acquisition System

We propose to design, build and test a 1 kg, single actuator, sample acquisition drill. The drill uses a novel method of core or powder acquisition. The core acquisition bit can be used for either a rock core, icy-soil or loose regolith acquisition. The continued development of robust sample acquisition and handling tools is of critical importance to future robotic and human missions to Mars, the Moon, Asteroids, and other planetary bodies. For these missions, consolidated or unconsolidated core samples (as opposed to, say, scooped regolith or collected drill cuttings) are of particular interest.