Regolith Excavation Performance of a Screw‐Propelled Vehicle

Excavation of regolith is the enabling process for many of the in situ resource utilization (ISRU) efforts that are being considered to aid in the human exploration of the moon and Mars. Most proposed planetary excavation systems are integrated with a wheeled vehicle, but none yet have used a screw‐propelled vehicle which can significantly enhance the excavation performance. Therefore, CASPER, a novel screw‐propelled excavation rover, is developed and analyzed to determine its effectiveness as a planetary excavator. The excavation rate, power, velocity, cost of transport, and a new parameter, excavation transport rate, are analyzed for various configurations of the vehicle through mobility and excavation tests performed in silica sand. The optimal configuration yields a 30 kg h−1 excavation rate and 10.2 m min−1 traverse rate with an overall system mass of 3.4 kg and power draw of less than 30 W. These results indicate that this architecture shows promise as a planetary excavation because it provides significant excavation capability with low mass and power requirements. An interactive preprint version of the article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.162823910.04538641/v1.