Deployable Pneumatic Regolith Extraction for Lunar ISRU
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for collecting lunar regolith require significant time due to reliance on rovers and scoops, which are inefficient for rapid material acquisition.
Innovation Solution
A deployable tube and mast system that uses high-pressure gas to form a borehole, deploying a mast into the borehole to direct and collect lunar regolith through a channel into a reservoir, enabling rapid excavation and collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional rovers and scoops are used to collect lunar regolith, then the collection process is simple in terms of device structure, but the collection time is excessive and productivity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs high-pressure gas jets to rapidly excavate lunar regolith by injecting pressurized gas into the regolith surface, fluidizing and ejecting material through a collection tube. This pneumatic approach replaces slow mechanical scooping with rapid gas-driven material removal, achieving collection rates of several kilograms per second and reducing collection time from hours to minutes
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical rover-and-scoop system with a stationary lander-based pneumatic extraction system. Instead of using mechanical contact and physical scooping motions, the system uses high-pressure gas dynamics to excavate and transport regolith, fundamentally substituting mechanical action with pneumatic action to achieve dramatically higher productivity
2Productivity
If high pressure gas is used to form a borehole and break up material, then productivity and collection speed improve, but device complexity increases due to deployable tube and mast mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically deployable structures including a retractable tube and extendable mast that can be deployed and retracted as needed. These dynamic components allow the system to achieve high extraction rates when deployed while maintaining a compact, low-complexity stowed configuration for transport and storage, resolving the contradiction between operational complexity and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The deployable tube is configured to nest within or alongside the mast structure when not in use, with the collection tube fitting within the mast housing and various components nested together in a compact arrangement. This nesting principle allows the complex pneumatic extraction system to be stored in a space-efficient manner, reducing the apparent complexity during transport while maintaining full functionality during operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid acquisition of large volumes of lunar regolith, reducing collection time and improving efficiency compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
The deployable tube directs a high pressure gas into the material to form a borehole and break up the material into smaller pieces of material
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of jets directs the smaller pieces of material through a channel of the deployable mast and into a reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
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.