NASA ’s New Planetary Drill is a 60-Watt Time Tunnel

NASA ’s New Planetary Drill is a 60-Watt Time Tunnel

Geologists , biologists and archaeologists for years have used core samples to look back in time, tunneling through layers of soil and stone to study history. NASA engineers are taking this veteran technique into the future with a design that can bore into other planets using just a light bulb’s worth of power.This month they will drill more than six feet deep into the tundra of the Canadian Arctic with a futuristic tool that is a cross between an oil rig and a portable household drill, making it ideal for space exploration.

The research team is spending the next two weeks testing the drill at the Eureka Weather Station on Ellesmere Island in Canada’s Nunavut province, about 690 miles from the North Pole. The outpost is on a vast, ice-covered landscape, buffeted by frigid winds and sub-zero temperatures. The conditions are in some ways similar to those found on the moon and Mars. The team will gather dozens of core samples that Canadian geologists will use to learn more about the geology and biology of the icy island.

A similar drill may one day be used by astronauts to bore into the polar caps of Mars in search for water, other resources and the evidence of habitability. These types of drills and other drill technology under development will also be a feature of early robotic precursor missions to human exploration. The drill was conceived by engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Baker Hughes Inc., both in Houston. It should ultimately be able to plunge to depths of several hundred yards using power generated by solar arrays or an atomic battery.

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