peen333 Lunar soil harvester

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

Conceptual design for the NASA RASSOR Bucket Drum Design Challenge - two tilted counter rotating rotors skimming the surface while the harvester slowly advances, rotors rotating fast enough to throw lunar surface soil into the container. Rotors tilted 5 degress outward will aid propulsion while collecting lunar soil. The rotor pair together with the container can be divided into two separate units moving independent of each other for better terrain following. The containers can be used for storage during the flight from planet Tellus.
Or four counter rotating rotors in a mirrored 2+2 configuration with containers on opposite sides, one pair lowered to the lunar surface while the harvester moves in one direction, then raising that pair and lower the other pair now moving in opposite direction. I don't know if the rotors needs teeth as such, perhaps a lining of industrial diamonds on the edge. And the container could really use a rework as it is. The container needs an optimized receiver for the material.
Designed to work in low gravity and vacuum on the moon. The model is obviously conceptual and has to be reworked by NASA-people to fit the mission.
And no, it's not a bucket drum, but it is simple and it is going to work on the moon collecting lunar surface material (to the best of my knowledge), it's not for digging deep.
Use this concept at will, just give me credit for the original idea if your are going to use it.