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Federal Contractor Profile

Honeybee Robotics, LTD.

$108.3M obligated·69 awards·4 agencies·9 NAICS

Federal Contracts

Showing contracts 150 of 161 total. Sorted by action date, most recent first. Excludes $0 modifications.

DateAgencyPIIDNAICSDescriptionAmount
Jan 13, 2026National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$148K
May 27, 2025National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$222K
May 24, 2024National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$412K
Jan 30, 2024National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$1.3M
Sep 29, 2023National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$398K
Aug 7, 2023National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$569K
May 17, 2023National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$214K
Apr 11, 2023National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$241K
Mar 21, 2023National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$266K
Feb 28, 2023National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$5.4M
Dec 21, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER80LARC21CA006541715DESIGN, PROTOTYPE, AND TEST THE LUNAR ARRAY MAST AND POWER SYSTEM (LAMPS), A SOLAR PANEL SYSTEM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE 10 KILOWATTS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND BE ROBOTICALLY DEPLOYABLE AT THE SOUTH POLE OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.$1.1M
Dec 7, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$5.0M
Nov 9, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$134K
Oct 27, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$4.0M
Sep 22, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.2M
Sep 16, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$1.3M
Sep 13, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER80LARC21CA006541715DESIGN, PROTOTYPE, AND TEST THE LUNAR ARRAY MAST AND POWER SYSTEM (LAMPS), A SOLAR PANEL SYSTEM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE 10 KILOWATTS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND BE ROBOTICALLY DEPLOYABLE AT THE SOUTH POLE OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.$850K
Aug 31, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$6.0M
Jul 28, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$1.2M
Jul 18, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.1M
Jul 14, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0241541715EXTRA-VEHICULAR ACTIVITY CREW DEPLOYED CORING AND.SEALING SYSTEMS$179K
May 25, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$6.0M
May 24, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$400K
Apr 7, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC22PA589334511TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR OPERATION OF TRIDENT DRILL BUILT BY HONEYBEE ROBOTICS$16K
Apr 5, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$1.2M
Mar 10, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$536K
Feb 14, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.7M
Jan 14, 2022National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$624K
Dec 1, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$2.3M
Nov 22, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$2.4M
Oct 25, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$3.7M
Sep 29, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$500K
Sep 28, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$939K
Sep 27, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0241541715EXTRA-VEHICULAR ACTIVITY CREW DEPLOYED CORING AND.SEALING SYSTEMS$300K
Sep 21, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER80LARC21CA006541715DESIGN, PROTOTYPE, AND TEST THE LUNAR ARRAY MAST AND POWER SYSTEM (LAMPS), A SOLAR PANEL SYSTEM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE 10 KILOWATTS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND BE ROBOTICALLY DEPLOYABLE AT THE SOUTH POLE OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.$700K
Sep 7, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.0M
Aug 26, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER80HQTR19C0024541715REDWATER COMBINES THE TWO TECHNOLOGIES INTO ONE: IT USES THE CT APPROACH TO CREATE A HOLE (FIGURE 1). ONCE THE HOLE IS MADE, THE COILED TUBING IS LEFT IN THE HOLE AND USED AS CONDUIT FOR WATER EXTRACTION. THE BHA CONTAINS A ROTARY-PERCUSSIVE DRILL SUBSYSTEM (SIMILAR TO THE ONE USED IN HONEYBEE ROBOTICS DEEP DRILL3), A DOWNHOLE PUMP, AND HEATERS. THE TUBE HOUSES AN INSULATED AND HEATED HOSE AS WELL AS WIRES FOR DOWNHOLE MOTORS AND HEATERS. DURING DRILLING, COMPRESSED GAS IS SEND DOWNHOLE THROUGH THE HOSE. THE GAS ESCAPES THROUGH THE ANNUAL SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND BOREHOLE WALL AND REMOVES CHIPS THAT CAN BE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED FOR SCIENCE. UPON REACHING AN ICE LAYER, THE DRILL CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER 3 M AND THEN STOPS ADVANCING FORWARD, BUT THE BIT CONTINUOUS SPINNING. HEATERS ARE TURNED ON TO MELT THE SURROUNDING ICE. ONCE ICE STARTS TO MELT, THE PERISTALTIC PUMP STARTS PUMPING A FRACTION OF THE MELTED WATER UP THE SAME HOSE THAT WAS USED FOR THE COMPRESSED GAS, AND INTO A STORAGE TANK ON THE SURFACE VIA A 3-WAY HEATED VALVE (VALVE SWITCHES BETWEEN THE GAS TANK AND WATER TANK). THE REMAINING WATER PASSES THROUGH A DOWNHOLE HEATER AND IS PUMPED INTO THE ROTATING BIT FOR WATER JETTING THIS CONTINUOUS STIRRING OF WATER AND INJECTION OF HOT WATER SPEEDS UP THE MELTING PROCESS. AFTER MELTING A SECTION OF ICE, THE CT IS REACTIVATED TO DRILL FURTHER AND THE MELTING PROCESS CONTINUES. SINCE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AT ARCADIA PLANITIA IS ABOVE THE TRIPLE POINT OF WATER, LIQUID WATER CAN EXIST. HOWEVER, IT IS UNSTABLE AND CAN BOIL OFF VERY QUICKLY. FOR THIS REASON, IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE TO SEAL OFF THE HOLE. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED VIA ACTIVE MEANS (A PACKER CAN EXPAND IN A HOLE AND SEAL THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND THE BOREHOLE) OR PASSIVE MEANS (WATER VAPOR WOULD RE-CONDENSE ON THE COLD BOREHOLE WALL AND SEAL IT THIS IN FACT HAS BEEN OBSERVED). THE TUBE WOULD HAVE TO BE HEATED TO FREE ITSELF UP BEFORE CONTINUING FURTHER DOWN, WHEN NEEDED. OUR PNEUMATIC EXCAVATION TESTS AT 7 TORR SHOWED PENETRATION RATES OF 1 M/MIN IN REGOLITH4. THE MASS RATIO OF GAS USED TO MATERIAL REMOVED OUT OF THE HOLE WAS 1:500. ASSUMING A 5 CM DIAMETER HOLE (CURRENT BASELINE FOR REDWATER), THE REQUIRED MASS OF GAS WOULD BE 10 KG. MOST OF THE SOURCES OF COMPRESSED GAS ARE AT HIGH TRL. GAS CAN BE BROUGHT FROM THE EARTH (MARS2020 MISSION BRINGS A TANK OF COMPRESSED N2 TO BLOW DUST OFF ROCKS), HELIUM PRESSURANT CAN BE USED FROM LANDED SYSTEMS, ROCKET FUEL CAN BE BURNED AND TURNED INTO GAS, AND ISRU GASSES (H2/O2) COULD ALSO BE USED. FINALLY, A COMPRESSOR COULD COMPRESS MARTIAN AIR. MOXI ON MARS2020 HAS A COMPRESSOR THAT WOULD TAKE 100 HOURS TO COMPRESS 10 KG OF CO2 FROM 7 TORR TO 760 TORR. TO EXTRACT THE REQUIRED 16 TONS OF WATER, A POOL OF APPROXIMATELY 3.1 M IN DIAMETER HAS TO BE CREATED, WHICH IS FEASIBLE. THE PROCESS OF WATER EXTRACTION WOULD TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS. OUR THERMAL MODELS USING MATHCAD AS WELL AS CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT REQUIRE HEAT FOR MELTING IS 1.5 KW AND FOR KEEPING THE WATER HOSE WARM ALONG THE 25 M LENGTH IS 1 KW. FIGURE 1 SHOWS REDWATER SYSTEM ON ATHLETE ROVER. IT USES SOLAR PANELS AND MMRTG TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL POWER AND HEAT. FIGURE 2 SHOWS REDWATER IN ITS STORED CONFIGURATION FOR LAUNCH WHILE FIGURE 3 SHOWS THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND BHA.$749K
Jul 28, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER80HQTR19C0024541715REDWATER COMBINES THE TWO TECHNOLOGIES INTO ONE: IT USES THE CT APPROACH TO CREATE A HOLE (FIGURE 1). ONCE THE HOLE IS MADE, THE COILED TUBING IS LEFT IN THE HOLE AND USED AS CONDUIT FOR WATER EXTRACTION. THE BHA CONTAINS A ROTARY-PERCUSSIVE DRILL SUBSYSTEM (SIMILAR TO THE ONE USED IN HONEYBEE ROBOTICS DEEP DRILL3), A DOWNHOLE PUMP, AND HEATERS. THE TUBE HOUSES AN INSULATED AND HEATED HOSE AS WELL AS WIRES FOR DOWNHOLE MOTORS AND HEATERS. DURING DRILLING, COMPRESSED GAS IS SEND DOWNHOLE THROUGH THE HOSE. THE GAS ESCAPES THROUGH THE ANNUAL SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND BOREHOLE WALL AND REMOVES CHIPS THAT CAN BE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED FOR SCIENCE. UPON REACHING AN ICE LAYER, THE DRILL CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER 3 M AND THEN STOPS ADVANCING FORWARD, BUT THE BIT CONTINUOUS SPINNING. HEATERS ARE TURNED ON TO MELT THE SURROUNDING ICE. ONCE ICE STARTS TO MELT, THE PERISTALTIC PUMP STARTS PUMPING A FRACTION OF THE MELTED WATER UP THE SAME HOSE THAT WAS USED FOR THE COMPRESSED GAS, AND INTO A STORAGE TANK ON THE SURFACE VIA A 3-WAY HEATED VALVE (VALVE SWITCHES BETWEEN THE GAS TANK AND WATER TANK). THE REMAINING WATER PASSES THROUGH A DOWNHOLE HEATER AND IS PUMPED INTO THE ROTATING BIT FOR WATER JETTING THIS CONTINUOUS STIRRING OF WATER AND INJECTION OF HOT WATER SPEEDS UP THE MELTING PROCESS. AFTER MELTING A SECTION OF ICE, THE CT IS REACTIVATED TO DRILL FURTHER AND THE MELTING PROCESS CONTINUES. SINCE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AT ARCADIA PLANITIA IS ABOVE THE TRIPLE POINT OF WATER, LIQUID WATER CAN EXIST. HOWEVER, IT IS UNSTABLE AND CAN BOIL OFF VERY QUICKLY. FOR THIS REASON, IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE TO SEAL OFF THE HOLE. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED VIA ACTIVE MEANS (A PACKER CAN EXPAND IN A HOLE AND SEAL THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND THE BOREHOLE) OR PASSIVE MEANS (WATER VAPOR WOULD RE-CONDENSE ON THE COLD BOREHOLE WALL AND SEAL IT THIS IN FACT HAS BEEN OBSERVED). THE TUBE WOULD HAVE TO BE HEATED TO FREE ITSELF UP BEFORE CONTINUING FURTHER DOWN, WHEN NEEDED. OUR PNEUMATIC EXCAVATION TESTS AT 7 TORR SHOWED PENETRATION RATES OF 1 M/MIN IN REGOLITH4. THE MASS RATIO OF GAS USED TO MATERIAL REMOVED OUT OF THE HOLE WAS 1:500. ASSUMING A 5 CM DIAMETER HOLE (CURRENT BASELINE FOR REDWATER), THE REQUIRED MASS OF GAS WOULD BE 10 KG. MOST OF THE SOURCES OF COMPRESSED GAS ARE AT HIGH TRL. GAS CAN BE BROUGHT FROM THE EARTH (MARS2020 MISSION BRINGS A TANK OF COMPRESSED N2 TO BLOW DUST OFF ROCKS), HELIUM PRESSURANT CAN BE USED FROM LANDED SYSTEMS, ROCKET FUEL CAN BE BURNED AND TURNED INTO GAS, AND ISRU GASSES (H2/O2) COULD ALSO BE USED. FINALLY, A COMPRESSOR COULD COMPRESS MARTIAN AIR. MOXI ON MARS2020 HAS A COMPRESSOR THAT WOULD TAKE 100 HOURS TO COMPRESS 10 KG OF CO2 FROM 7 TORR TO 760 TORR. TO EXTRACT THE REQUIRED 16 TONS OF WATER, A POOL OF APPROXIMATELY 3.1 M IN DIAMETER HAS TO BE CREATED, WHICH IS FEASIBLE. THE PROCESS OF WATER EXTRACTION WOULD TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS. OUR THERMAL MODELS USING MATHCAD AS WELL AS CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT REQUIRE HEAT FOR MELTING IS 1.5 KW AND FOR KEEPING THE WATER HOSE WARM ALONG THE 25 M LENGTH IS 1 KW. FIGURE 1 SHOWS REDWATER SYSTEM ON ATHLETE ROVER. IT USES SOLAR PANELS AND MMRTG TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL POWER AND HEAT. FIGURE 2 SHOWS REDWATER IN ITS STORED CONFIGURATION FOR LAUNCH WHILE FIGURE 3 SHOWS THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND BHA.$250K
May 27, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0014541715ROBOTIC ISRU CONSTRUCTION OF PLANETARY LANDING AND LAUNCH PAD$500K
May 11, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.8M
May 5, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC20C0026541715KARLE SAMPLE HANDLING SYSTEM$256K
Apr 27, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC20C0115541330THE SAMPLE ACQUISITION AT MARS (SAM) SUITE INVESTIGATION WILL CAST A WIDE ANALYTICAL NET TO CAPTURE CHEMICAL INDICATORS OF THE HABITABILITY OF MARS. SAM WILL "FIND THE CARBON" REVEALING THEIR LIKELY SOURCE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESSES.$564K
Apr 8, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER80HQTR19C0024541715REDWATER COMBINES THE TWO TECHNOLOGIES INTO ONE: IT USES THE CT APPROACH TO CREATE A HOLE (FIGURE 1). ONCE THE HOLE IS MADE, THE COILED TUBING IS LEFT IN THE HOLE AND USED AS CONDUIT FOR WATER EXTRACTION. THE BHA CONTAINS A ROTARY-PERCUSSIVE DRILL SUBSYSTEM (SIMILAR TO THE ONE USED IN HONEYBEE ROBOTICS DEEP DRILL3), A DOWNHOLE PUMP, AND HEATERS. THE TUBE HOUSES AN INSULATED AND HEATED HOSE AS WELL AS WIRES FOR DOWNHOLE MOTORS AND HEATERS. DURING DRILLING, COMPRESSED GAS IS SEND DOWNHOLE THROUGH THE HOSE. THE GAS ESCAPES THROUGH THE ANNUAL SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND BOREHOLE WALL AND REMOVES CHIPS THAT CAN BE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED FOR SCIENCE. UPON REACHING AN ICE LAYER, THE DRILL CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER 3 M AND THEN STOPS ADVANCING FORWARD, BUT THE BIT CONTINUOUS SPINNING. HEATERS ARE TURNED ON TO MELT THE SURROUNDING ICE. ONCE ICE STARTS TO MELT, THE PERISTALTIC PUMP STARTS PUMPING A FRACTION OF THE MELTED WATER UP THE SAME HOSE THAT WAS USED FOR THE COMPRESSED GAS, AND INTO A STORAGE TANK ON THE SURFACE VIA A 3-WAY HEATED VALVE (VALVE SWITCHES BETWEEN THE GAS TANK AND WATER TANK). THE REMAINING WATER PASSES THROUGH A DOWNHOLE HEATER AND IS PUMPED INTO THE ROTATING BIT FOR WATER JETTING THIS CONTINUOUS STIRRING OF WATER AND INJECTION OF HOT WATER SPEEDS UP THE MELTING PROCESS. AFTER MELTING A SECTION OF ICE, THE CT IS REACTIVATED TO DRILL FURTHER AND THE MELTING PROCESS CONTINUES. SINCE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AT ARCADIA PLANITIA IS ABOVE THE TRIPLE POINT OF WATER, LIQUID WATER CAN EXIST. HOWEVER, IT IS UNSTABLE AND CAN BOIL OFF VERY QUICKLY. FOR THIS REASON, IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE TO SEAL OFF THE HOLE. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED VIA ACTIVE MEANS (A PACKER CAN EXPAND IN A HOLE AND SEAL THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND THE BOREHOLE) OR PASSIVE MEANS (WATER VAPOR WOULD RE-CONDENSE ON THE COLD BOREHOLE WALL AND SEAL IT THIS IN FACT HAS BEEN OBSERVED). THE TUBE WOULD HAVE TO BE HEATED TO FREE ITSELF UP BEFORE CONTINUING FURTHER DOWN, WHEN NEEDED. OUR PNEUMATIC EXCAVATION TESTS AT 7 TORR SHOWED PENETRATION RATES OF 1 M/MIN IN REGOLITH4. THE MASS RATIO OF GAS USED TO MATERIAL REMOVED OUT OF THE HOLE WAS 1:500. ASSUMING A 5 CM DIAMETER HOLE (CURRENT BASELINE FOR REDWATER), THE REQUIRED MASS OF GAS WOULD BE 10 KG. MOST OF THE SOURCES OF COMPRESSED GAS ARE AT HIGH TRL. GAS CAN BE BROUGHT FROM THE EARTH (MARS2020 MISSION BRINGS A TANK OF COMPRESSED N2 TO BLOW DUST OFF ROCKS), HELIUM PRESSURANT CAN BE USED FROM LANDED SYSTEMS, ROCKET FUEL CAN BE BURNED AND TURNED INTO GAS, AND ISRU GASSES (H2/O2) COULD ALSO BE USED. FINALLY, A COMPRESSOR COULD COMPRESS MARTIAN AIR. MOXI ON MARS2020 HAS A COMPRESSOR THAT WOULD TAKE 100 HOURS TO COMPRESS 10 KG OF CO2 FROM 7 TORR TO 760 TORR. TO EXTRACT THE REQUIRED 16 TONS OF WATER, A POOL OF APPROXIMATELY 3.1 M IN DIAMETER HAS TO BE CREATED, WHICH IS FEASIBLE. THE PROCESS OF WATER EXTRACTION WOULD TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS. OUR THERMAL MODELS USING MATHCAD AS WELL AS CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT REQUIRE HEAT FOR MELTING IS 1.5 KW AND FOR KEEPING THE WATER HOSE WARM ALONG THE 25 M LENGTH IS 1 KW. FIGURE 1 SHOWS REDWATER SYSTEM ON ATHLETE ROVER. IT USES SOLAR PANELS AND MMRTG TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL POWER AND HEAT. FIGURE 2 SHOWS REDWATER IN ITS STORED CONFIGURATION FOR LAUNCH WHILE FIGURE 3 SHOWS THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND BHA.$500K
Mar 23, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$159K
Mar 8, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80MSFC20C0007541715THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING REGOLITH FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE TO INSTRUMENTS AND SAMPLE RETURN CONTAINERS$377K
Feb 17, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.0M
Jan 21, 2021National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC21P0811541330HONEYBEE ROBOTICS BRASSBOARD SAMPLE HANDLING SYSTEM$100K
Nov 12, 2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.5M
Nov 2, 2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER80GSFC19C0022541330DRAGONFLY RELOADABLE LANDER TO EXPLORE TITAN'S PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY AND HABITABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NNH16ZD011O$1.0M
Sep 14, 2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER80NSSC20C0677541715ONE-METER CLASS DRILLING FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION$8.4M

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