Description: Cislune proposes the construction of a percussive bucket drum mechanism with Ultrasonic Assisted Cutting teeth and predictive software to minimize sublimation during lunar ice mining. The technology will enable the efficient collection of water ice from icy regolith. In this Phase II effort, Cislune will design and manufacture PERDEX (PERcussive Drum EXcavator) along with associated software. We will demonstrate PERDEX’s capabilities compared to standard bucket drums in a Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) chamber to satisfy the requirements for reduced sublimation and heating during excavation. PERDEX is a self-contained bucket drum solution capable of excavating lunar regolith in various forms and strengths. Cislune has performed a variety of experiments and modeling in Phase I that will inform the design and approach of PERDEX. Cislune has been developing new technologies for managing and processing dry and icy lunar regolith. We will leverage technology from the Rover that Cislune developed during the NASA Break the Ice Lunar Challenge (BTILC) to efficiently and rapidly collect icy lunar regolith. The experiments and models from Phase I showed a significant reduction in sublimation for larger conglomerate chunks versus the fine material that will result from the scraping action of a standard bucket drum. The goal of PERDEX is to focus on generating the larger conglomerates while minimizing sublimation, energy input, and heating. The UAC teeth allow deeper penetration into the material and ensure the fracturing behavior operates in the weaker shear domain instead of the strong compressive domain of the material. Adapting the PERDEX technology has the potential to reduce energy consumption, and by extension energy input into the regolith, by up to 70%. And by retaining the heritage of the bucket drum architecture, the design allows scalable excavation in large quantities of dry overburden as well as the significantly tougher icy lunar regolith.

Benefits: The goal of this research is minimizing volatile sublimation during excavation that applies to producing propellants and other ISRU-derived products like plastics, breathable air, and more. This innovation directly maps to NASA STMD’s Strategic Framework thrusts of Go - Cryogenic Fluid Management, Land – Global access to support human missions, Live – ISRU. This innovation dramatically improves cryogenic propellant production of water and other volatiles that are critical for Moon and Mars exploration and utilization.

ISRU mining, manufacturing, and space tourism all benefit from more efficient production of lunar ISRU sourced propellant, breathable air, plastics, potable water, and more. Volatiles are a critical product of lunar regolith excavation, in addition to metals, ceramics, solar cells, and fibers.