Lunar Excavation

Goal:

Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation and Firestar Engineering formed a working relationship to investigate jet-lift excavation of lunar regolith for in-situ resource utilization (i.e. oxygen generation.)  Jet-lift excavation is an attractive solution for power reduction during the collection of regolith, and may facilitate more effective regolith heating required for post processing.   Phase II investigations are underway with this contract.

 

Principal Investigator:

Kris Zacny, Honeybee Robotics

 

Publications:

Zacny, K., G. Mungas, C. Mungas, D. Fisher, and M. Hedlund, Pneumatic Excavator and Regolith Transport System for Lunar ISRU and Construction, AIAA SPACE 2008 Conference & Exposition, AIAA-2008-7824, (2008).

 

K. Zacny, G. Mungas,  L. Parrington, C. Mungas, and D. Fisher, Pneumatic Drill and Excavator for Planetary Exploration, the Seventh International Conference on Mars, #3010 (2007).

 

K. Zacny, G. Mungas,  L. Parrington, C. Mungas, and D. Fisher, Pneumatic Drill and Excavator for Planetary Exploration, the Seventh International Conference on Mars, #3010 (2007).

 

 

Firestar Engineering, llc