Mechanism Design of a Multi-functional Drilling End-effector for Extraterrestrial Regolith Sampling

Deep space exploration is extremely important to the sustainable development of mankind, and it has potential value in exploring the origin of life, predicting astronomical disasters, and utilizing interstellar resources. Regolith sampling is an important way for humans to explore and understand the evolutionary history and objective environment of extraterrestrial objects. In the extreme extraterrestrial environment, it is advantageous to complete the sampling mission with a robotic arm-mounted sampler instead of manual operation with high efficiency, accuracy, and safety. Based on the requirements of regolith sampling, the functional end-effector considerations are analyzed in this paper. A multi-functional drilling end-effector mounted on a robotic arm is proposed, including feeding, rotation, percussion, coring, and chuck mechanisms. The simulation of the sample break-off process is also established. This paper can provide some theoretical and technical references for the future design of extraterrestrial sampling tools.