71results about "Extraterrestrail material mining" patented technology

Solar thermal and chemical hybrid rocket configurations for mining and other space applications are disclosed. One aspect is a rocket propulsion system configured to provide rocket thrust, including a solar absorber, a rocket nozzle, and a solar power collection system configured to collect solar energy from the sun, generate an energy beam from the collected sunlight, heat the solar absorber to transfer heat to one or more pressurized propulsive gases, and expel the heated pressurized propulsive gases through a rocket nozzle. A solar absorber can be formed from a granular collection or agglomeration of solids (e.g., of beads), which can be layered with more transparent layer(s) above and more absorbing layer(s) below to create a temperature profile in propellant(s) flowing through the absorber. A hybrid motor can provide an energy (e.g., solar) absorber for absorbing and transferring radiative energy as well as a combustion area. Multiple propellants can be present in a single chamber and be forced from a nozzle to produce thrust. Pressure in a rocket can be achieved from heating inert gasses, and alternatively or simultaneously, from mixing and igniting non-inert gasses.

A lunar regolith reduction reactor system includes a housing, a crucible, and a pair of electrodes. The housing includes a base structure and a cover structure detachably connected to the base structure, a gas input port to permit input of hydrogen gas into the housing, and a gas output port to permit outgassing of water vapor and gases. The crucible is designed to hold an amount of lunar regolith in the housing. The electrodes are disposed apart from one another and adjacent the crucible, wherein the electrodes are connectable to a power source to generate an electric arc to heat lunar regolith in the crucible and initiate a reduction reaction to separate oxygen gas and reduce separated material into a molten state.

The system extracts water from lunar regolith and includes a regolith intake having a digging bucket that collects lunar regolith soil and a gravel separator that separates and discharges gravel and passes a mixture of ice-regolith powder having ice grains that are about 10-100 microns along the conveyor. A pneumatic separator receives the ice-regolith powder and pneumatically splits the ice-regolith powder into streams of different sized lithic fragments and ice particles per the ratio of inertial force and aerodynamic drag force of the lithic fragments and ice particles. Each split stream may include a magnetic separator that separates further the magnetic and paramagnetic lithic fragments from ice particles to discharge up to 80 percent of lithic fragments to slag.

Systems and methods for autonomous extraction of volatile minerals from extraterrestrial regolith are disclosed. A rover tows a mineral-collection wagon that mechanically prepares surface regolith and positions a detachable collector shield over a target area. When lowered, the shield rim seals against the regolith to define a localized, low-leakage environment. A radiant heating element raises the regolith to vaporization temperature; released species migrate to the shield's inner surface, which is cryogenically or ambiently cooled to condense solids as a removable film. After a heating / collection cycle, the shield is decoupled for retrieval and processing while the wagon immediately accepts a replacement shield, enabling continuous, modular operation. Embodiments support guided alignment, power coupling, optional daisy-chained wagons, and reciprocating or continuous motion to increase throughput on lunar or similar vacuum surfaces.

Described herein are embodiments directed to collecting vaporize gas via a CPC arrangement. The CPC arrangement generally comprises a transporter that carries around a cover with one or more cryogenically cooled plates (or some other cryogenically cooled surface) therein. A plurality of CPCs dispersed on the transporter each have a concave reflective bowl that captures and directs sunlight through a fiberoptic cable where the sunlight is focused on regolith in an internal environment defined within the cover when resting atop the regolith. The focused sunlight heats the regolith and liberates the gas from the regolith, which is trapped in the internal environment. The gas in the internal environment condenses on the cooled plates where it can be collected and processed.

The invention discloses a V-shaped drill bit drilling mechanical model modeling method considering lunar soil muck uniform distribution, and belongs to the technical field of lunar surface drilling and lunar soil mechanical analysis. In order to solve the problem of cutting force and power consumption calculation errors caused by neglecting of dynamic pressure of excavated muck on a cutting area in a traditional drilling model, a lunar soil cutting mechanical model considering uniformly distributed pressure is established, and a calculation formula of cutting resistance of a central failure area and a lateral failure area is deduced; a relation model between the horizontal component, the vertical component, the total cutting force, the torque, the power consumption and the efficiency of the cutting force and drill bit structure parameters is constructed. According to the method, the dynamic uniform pressure effect of excavated muck on a cutting area is quantified, the limitation of a traditional lunar soil drilling model in cutting force and power consumption prediction is improved, a theoretical basis is provided for structure optimization, energy consumption control and reliability improvement of lunar drilling equipment, and the method has high engineering application value.

The invention discloses a lunar surface and lunar deep base in-situ non-cementation integrated construction method, which comprises the following steps: through mutual cooperation of a water ice electrolysis lunar vehicle, a thermal rock breaking lunar vehicle and a hoisting-carrying lunar vehicle, selecting a deep lava cave on the lunar as a deep base, and selecting a construction position of a lunar surface base around the deep base; then the hoisting-carrying lunar vehicle carries out loading and unloading operation on the components of the water-ice electrolysis lunar vehicle and carries the position of the thermal rock breaking lunar vehicle; the water-ice electrolysis lunar vehicle continuously converts water-ice resources on the moon into hydrogen and oxygen to supply energy to thermal rock breaking; the thermal rock breaking lunar rover generates high-temperature flames to jet and break rocks, and thermal stripping and associated tensile thermal cracking of lunar soil and lunar rocks are achieved through the high-temperature flames. And finally, synchronous construction is conducted on the lunar surface base and the deep base, materials adopted in the construction process are all taken from the moon in situ, the lunar surface base is constructed by means of a topological interlocking structure, and in-situ non-cementing integrated construction of the lunar surface base and the deep lunar base is achieved.

Described herein are embodiments directed to a heat recovery arrangement for collecting vaporized gas trapped in regolith. The heat recovery arrangement generally comprising a rover that carries heat recovery elements that cooperate with a primary heat source. The heat recovery elements include a preheat contact element that preheats a region of regolith before the region is brought to high heat by the primary heat source. As the rover moves forward, the preheat contact element receives heat collected from the high heat region via a heat recovery sled that moves in contact with the high heat region. Heat is transferred between the heat recovery sled and the preheat contact element via a heat transfer medium that circulates through the heat recovery sled and preheat contact element.

Described herein are embodiments directed to a heat recovery arrangement for collecting vaporized gas trapped in regolith. The heat recovery arrangement generally comprising a rover that carries heat recovery elements that cooperate with a primary heat source. The heat recovery elements include a preheat contact element that preheats a region of regolith before the region is brought to high heat by the primary heat source. As the rover moves forward, the preheat contact element receives heat collected from the high heat region via a heat recovery sled that moves in contact with the high heat region. Heat is transferred between the heat recovery sled and the preheat contact element via a heat transfer medium that circulates through the heat recovery sled and preheat contact element.

The present disclosure relates to a coring assembly for extraterrestrial drilling and a preparation method of the coring assembly for extraterrestrial drilling. The coring assembly for extraterrestrial drilling includes: a limit locking mechanism, a flexible coring rotary body, a variable-diameter cone, an equal-tension bundled rope, and an end cap. One end of the flexible coring rotary body is connected to the limit locking mechanism, and the other end of the flexible coring rotary body is connected to one end of the variable-diameter cone. The flexible coring rotary body and the variable-diameter cone form a flexible coring structure. A storage structure is connected within the variable-diameter cone; and the other end of the variable-diameter cone is connected to the end cap via the equal-tension bundled rope.

The invention discloses an array type penetrometer and a moon polar region water ice temperature control mining and in-situ hydrogen production method, and relates to the technical field of moon water ice resource mining and in-situ utilization. The array type penetrometer is composed of a plurality of simple temperature control penetrometers, an in-situ exploitation hydrogen production penetrometer and a control system. An end heating and side wall heating module is arranged in the simple temperature control penetrometer, and the penetrometers are evenly distributed along the circumference. The in-situ mining hydrogen production penetrometer is located in the center of the circumference and is composed of a thick-wall cylinder body structure, a dense hole ventilation grid, a conical head heating module, a side wall heating module and a microwave plasma module. Temperature difference, air pressure difference and pore conductance difference are generated in a water-ice reservoir through the array type temperature control penetrometer, water-ice phase change is driven, directional migration and enrichment towards a central area are achieved, then part of rarefied water vapor is cracked in situ through a microwave plasma generating device arranged in the central penetrometer, and co-production of water, oxygen and hydrogen is achieved.

Systems and methods for the in situ extraction of materials, for example lunar regolith, from a celestial body. The systems and methods described herein can be used in outer space or on Earth. A high pressure gas is delivered to loosen up the material and form a borehole. A deployable mast deploys from a stowed, coiled configuration to a linear, deployed configuration into the borehole. A deployable tube may deploy to assist with delivering the gas and / or collecting the loosened material. One or more jets emit the gas. The jets may be supported at a free end of the tube or mast. The jets may direct loosened material through the tube and / or mast toward a collection reservoir. A flow separator may filter the loosened material from the gasses.

The invention discloses a device and a method for improving the microwave mining efficiency of moon water ice, and belongs to the technical field of in-situ mining of extraterrestrial water ice. The device comprises a multifunctional drilling unit, an air pressure reconstruction unit, a multifunctional heating unit and a moisture collection and storage unit, the multifunctional drilling unit is used for drilling frozen lunar soil, and the multifunctional drilling unit is further used for providing a sealed environment for the frozen lunar soil extracted through drilling; the air pressure reconstruction unit is used for setting a pressure environment for frozen lunar soil in the multifunctional drilling unit according to preset requirements; the multifunctional heating unit is used for heating the frozen lunar soil in the multifunctional drilling unit in a pressure environment set by the air pressure reconstruction unit, so that the frozen lunar soil in the multifunctional drilling unit generates liquid water, and ice in the frozen lunar soil is melted and vaporized by taking the liquid water as a microwave absorption and heat conduction carrier; and the water collection and storage unit is used for collecting and storing water vapor generated by melting and vaporizing ice in the frozen lunar soil in the multifunctional drilling unit.

A gaseous substance collection system that can be used on extraterrestrial celestial bodies is envisaged for collecting target gaseous atoms and molecules that float in a shielded environment at a pressure equal to or less than 1 * 10-5 bar. The shielded environment is defined within a cover placed on top of the granular soil, and in one embodiment, the granular soil is a weathered layer. The cover includes a cover body extending from an edge to a top of the cover. The shielding environment is not communicated with the external environment through the cover body. The mining device further comprises a blade, a heat source and a gas collecting face. A blade extends from the edge and is configured to penetrate particulate soil. A heat source disposed in the cover is configured to heat particulate soil. The gas collection face is disposed in the shielded environment and is configured to maintain a temperature below 100 DEG Kelvin.

The invention provides a movable lunar resource exploitation and storage device, and belongs to the technical field of lunar base construction and resource exploitation. The problem that an existing lunar resource mining device is poor in efficiency and stability is solved. The device comprises a storage cabin, a walking structure, an anchoring structure, a mining structure, an energy supply structure and a radar detection and high-precision inertial navigation system, and the walking structure is arranged below the storage cabin and used for driving the storage cabin to move; the anchoring structure can extend into and be fixed below the earth surface of the moon so as to fix the relative position of the storage cabin and the earth surface of the moon; the mining structure can extend below the earth surface of the lunar to collect lunar resources and transmit the lunar resources back to the storage cabin; the radar detection and high-precision inertial navigation system is used for monitoring lunar surface conditions in real time and determining and navigating to a mining position; the energy supply structure is used for functions of the walking structure, the anchoring structure and the mining structure. The device has recoverability and high efficiency, energy consumption is reduced, and sustainability of lunar resource exploitation is improved.

A system and associated method constructs a building material from lunar soil. A magnetic sorter magnetically sorts the lunar soil and the system creates a layered surface comprising a microwave susceptible, thermal conductive top layer of lunar soil and a poorly microwave-susceptible and poorly thermally conductive sublayer of lunar soil. A microwave generator generates microwave energy into an antenna and directs the microwave energy onto the top layer of lunar soil to sinter the microwave susceptible, thermal conductive top layer of lunar soil.

An optical mining apparatus comprising: a light weight solar reflector; optics for controlling the delivery of concentrated sun light onto the surface of a target; and a temperature controlled gas enclosure that contains the target; wherein said solar reflector is oriented to reflect sun light onto said optics.

Systems and methods for the in situ extraction of materials, for example lunar regolith, from a celestial body. The systems and methods described herein can be used in outer space or on Earth. A high pressure gas is delivered to loosen up the material and form a borehole. A deployable mast deploys from a stowed, coiled configuration to a linear, deployed configuration into the borehole. A deployable tube may deploy to assist with delivering the gas and / or collecting the loosened material. One or more jets emit the gas. The jets may be supported at a free end of the tube or mast. The jets may direct loosened material through the tube and / or mast toward a collection reservoir. A flow separator may filter the loosened material from the gasses.

The invention discloses a comprehensive disaster prevention and control system and method for rock breaking engineering of lunar mineral resource exploitation. A shielding protective cover is used for preventing rock debris and dust in a rock breaking working area from escaping out of the shielding protective cover; the dust monitoring device is used for monitoring the dust concentration at different positions of the rock breaking working area; the distributed optical fiber strain sensing device is used for monitoring the strain of the surface of the shielding protective cover; the control center is used for receiving a signal fed back by the distributed optical fiber strain sensing device, evaluating the damage degree of the shielding protective cover and repairing the position, needing to be repaired, of the shielding protective cover through a magnetic field or a temperature field excited by the repairing device; the vacuum adsorption pipeline conveys rock debris and dust generated in the rock breaking working area to the collection cabin by generating negative pressure, and the control center regulates and controls the negative pressure value of the vacuum adsorption pipeline by receiving the dust concentration condition, so that controllable expansion of cracks in the moon rock breaking process is achieved, the generated debris and dust are collected, and the rock breaking efficiency is improved. And the construction safety is effectively ensured.

The invention discloses a vacuum microgravity environment asteroid solid mineral mining device and mining method, and belongs to the technical field of asteroid resource utilization. The problems that an existing asteroid sampling device is extremely small in sampling amount, large-scale mineral collection cannot be achieved, and hard rock mass cannot be treated are solved. A flexible closed skirt is installed at the end of the rigid closed barrel, the side face of the rigid closed barrel communicates with the solid mineral collecting mechanism, and the rotating mechanism is installed on the inner wall of the rigid closed barrel in the radial direction. The microgravity mechanical mining mechanism, the laser hole forming mechanism and the high-pressure gas blowing-out mechanism are fixedly connected to one side of the rotating mechanism. Mineral is reversely crushed through the microgravity mechanical mining mechanism, continuous and stable crushing of solid mineral is achieved, airflow is directionally jetted to a preset area through the high-pressure gas blowing-out mechanism, and efficient and large-scale collection of irregularly moving particles is achieved.

The application discloses a lunar permanent shadow area permanent water resource exploitation base system, wherein a concentrator, a concentrator support, a focal point catcher, a light energy focusing collimator, a universal light path transceiver and a light energy distributor form a sunlight energy collection and transmission system; through a water resource thermal exploitation pile and a water resource thermal exploitation system, water resource exploitation is carried out by using sunlight energy, and by-products, i.e., bricks and thin waists, are produced to provide building materials for building permanent structures on the moon surface; the application can be used in water resource exploitation engineering in the lunar permanent shadow area and can be used in water resource exploitation engineering in the weak sunlight irradiation area on the moon surface; water molecules released in the process of heating the moon soil can be effectively captured by using water absorption medicine bags formed by using montmorillonite and porous quicklime; the application greatly reduces the requirement of the earth-moon rocket carrying capacity, reduces the difficulty of construction, operation and maintenance of the lunar permanent water resource exploitation base, and prolongs the service life of the water resource exploitation base.

The present invention relates to an intelligent drilling-type space mining robot, comprising: a frame, on which a storage box is fixed, the interior of the storage box is communicated with a compressor, and the communication position is covered with a filter screen; a traveling mechanism is installed on both sides of the frame; the drilling and suction mechanism includes a lifting mechanism, a high-pressure gas tank, a drill barrel, a connecting pipe, a high-pressure delivery pipe and a servo motor, the drill barrel is rotatably connected to the lifting end of the lifting mechanism, a drill bit is fixed at its bottom end, a drill bit hole is formed along the axis of the drill bit, the high-pressure delivery pipe is arranged corresponding to the drill bit hole and forms a high-pressure area through an air outlet hole; a robotic arm is installed at the rear end of the frame for collecting large-particle ores; through the cooperation of the drilling and suction mechanism and the high-pressure air flow, the present invention uses the high-pressure air flow to transport small-particle ores to the storage box and intercepts them through the filter screen, solving the problems of low mining efficiency and poor adaptability of existing space mining robots in a low-gravity and high-radiation environment.

The invention relates to a biological mining method and system device suitable for space resource development. The system device comprises a front-end crushing and grinding device, a microorganism reaction box, a microorganism culture box, a useful element extraction device, a material flow direction control device, a multifunctional mechanical arm, a rear-end useful element storage box and the like. The biological mining method comprises the following steps: crushing extraterrestrial celestial body minerals to a proper particle size, feeding the crushed extraterrestrial celestial body minerals into a microbial reaction box for leaching reaction, and then separating out tailing slag and liquid; the liquid enters a material flow direction control device, microorganisms are isolated for cyclic utilization, and synchronously filtered residual liquid enters a useful element extraction device to separate out target elements; the residual liquid is subjected to water purification treatment and then returns to the microbial incubator to form circulation. The device adopts a modularized and lightweight structure, has the advantages of low energy consumption, high efficiency, strong adaptability, cyclic utilization and the like, is highly unmanned, automatic and intelligent, and can realize efficient extraction and sustainable utilization of space mineral resources.

An exploration method includes: a step of exploring a natural resource on a satellite, a minor planet, or a planet; a step of acquiring the natural resource detected by the exploration; and a step of storing the acquired natural resource.

The intelligent drilling type space mining robot comprises a rack, a storage box is fixed to the rack, the interior of the storage box communicates with a compressor, and the communicating position is covered with a filter screen; the walking mechanisms are installed on the two sides of the rack. The drilling and sucking mechanism comprises a lifting mechanism, a high-pressure gas tank, a drilling barrel, a communicating pipe, a high-pressure conveying pipe and a servo motor, the drilling barrel is rotationally connected with the lifting end of the lifting mechanism, a drill bit is fixed to the bottom end of the drilling barrel and provided with a drill bit hole along the axis, and the high-pressure conveying pipe corresponds to the drill bit hole and forms a high-pressure area through an air outlet hole; the mechanical arm is installed at the rear end of the rack and used for collecting large-particle ore. According to the space mining robot, the drilling and sucking mechanism is matched with the high-pressure air flow, small-particle ore is conveyed to the storage box through the high-pressure air flow and is intercepted through the filter screen, and the problems that an existing space mining robot is low in mining efficiency and poor in adaptability in the low-gravity and high-radiation environment are solved.

The invention discloses a Mars CO2 dynamic adaptation type underground water-ice melting cavity system and a water-ice melting method, and belongs to the field of planet in-situ resource utilization. The problems that an existing Mars water ice mining scheme mostly adopts a simple heating or sealing strategy, and the pressure intensity and temperature management problem caused by the dynamic characteristic of Mars atmosphere CO2 and the violent day and night temperature difference cannot be effectively solved are solved. According to the system, a heating element is arranged in an ice melting cavity and used for melting water and ice in a controlled environment; the expandable sealing unit is arranged at the wellhead of the ice melting cavity and is used for carrying out airtight isolation; the intelligent CO2 gas management unit is connected with the ice melting cavity; the intelligent heat management unit is connected with an internal heating element of the ice melting cavity and is used for dynamically scheduling heat energy under the day and night temperature difference change of Mars; the central control unit is used for receiving sensor data and outputting a control instruction, and the working modes of the intelligent CO2 gas management unit and the intelligent heat management unit are dynamically optimized. The method is mainly used in the energy efficiency optimization field.

The present invention discloses a bionic tunneling robot, comprising a body, a head mechanism connected to the body, and a forelimb mechanism and a hindlimb mechanism respectively connected to the front and rear ends of the body and used for moving and discharging soil. The head mechanism comprises an incisor assembly for biting and digging soil, a flexible cervical vertebra, and a first drive device. One end of the flexible cervical vertebra is fixed to the incisor assembly, and the other end of the flexible cervical vertebra is fixed to an end of the body close to the forelimb mechanism. The first drive device is installed at an end of the body close to the flexible cervical vertebra. The first drive device is used to drive the flexible cervical vertebra to bend so that the incisor assembly deflects. The present invention can drive the incisor assembly to deflect in all directions under the support of the flexible cervical vertebra through the first drive device, thereby increasing the dynamism of the head mechanism and improving tunneling efficiency.

Industrial robotic platforms are described. The robotic platform includes a universal platform configured to attach to interchangeable task-specific tooling systems and mobility systems. The robots may be mining robots, with a mining-specific tooling system attached to the universal platform, and configured for mining tasks. The platform is modular and may be used for other industrial applications and / or robot types, such as construction, satellite swarms, fuel production, disaster recovery, communications, remote power, and others. The robot may be included in a swarm or colony as part of an overall autonomous architecture. The robot may be part of an architecture having a colony or remote control center that communicates with and monitors the robots.

Techniques and systems extract water from lunar regolith using microwave radiation and may also produce fuel from the extracted water. The system can distill the extracted water to remove impurities before electrolyzing the purified water into oxygen and hydrogen gases, which may then be cooled to form liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. A portion of the system may reside on a lunar landing module. Another portion of the system may be affixed to a robotic arm that is extendable from the lunar landing module. This portion of the system includes a water extraction unit, comprising a cone used as a cold trap. The cone may include cooling channels to keep the temperature of the smooth inner surface of the cone cold enough to trap particles of frost that attach to the inner surface. The frost is then scraped from the inner surface and collected.

The invention discloses a planetary solid-liquid-gas mineral in-situ mining system and method based on plasma thermal damage. The system is characterized in that a bearing cross arm is supported above a chassis armor by two pairs of bearing hydraulic props; the walking mechanism comprises a triangular crawler belt mechanism; the positioning and supporting mechanism comprises edge telescopic supporting legs and middle telescopic supporting legs which are mounted at the lower end of the chassis armor; the multiphase mining unit comprises a gas-liquid phase resource mining mechanism and a solid phase resource mining mechanism; the gas-liquid phase resource mining mechanism comprises a drilling machine support, a drilling machine, a drill rod connector, a rope winding device, a drill rod grabbing device, a synchronous sealing device and a resource sorting and purifying device. The solid-phase resource mining mechanism comprises a rock breaking device and a shoveling and conveying device; the plasma generation unit comprises a plasma generation device, a plasma emitter and a plasma emission plate; the resource detection and monitoring unit is mounted on the protective cover; the method includes storing electric energy; the ore body and the environment are dynamically and accurately monitored; and mining operation is carried out under the cooperation of plasma. According to the invention, integrated mining operation of multi-phase state resources can be realized.