Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2023)
Recipient: HONEYBEE ROBOTICS, LTD.
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2019-04-19 to 2023-10-18
Current total value of award: $3924956
Description: REDWATER IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE TO EXTRACT WATER FROM MARS, LUNAR, AND PLANETARY ICE DEPOSITS. IT USES THE COIL TUBING (CT) APPROACH TO CREATE A HOLE ONCE THE HOLE IS MADE, THE COILED TUBING IS LEFT IN THE HOLE AND USED AS CONDUIT FOR WATER EXTRACTION. THE BOTTOM HOLE ASSEMBLY (BHA) CONTAINS A ROTARY-PERCUSSIVE DRILL SUBSYSTEM (SIMILAR TO THE ONE USED IN HONEYBEE ROBOTICS DEEP DRILL 3), A DOWN HOLE PUMP, AND HEATERS. THE TUBE HOUSES AN INSULATED AND HEATED HOSE AS WELL AS WIRES FOR DOWN HOLE MOTORS AND HEATERS. DURING DRILLING, COMPRESSED GAS IS SEND DOWN HOLE THROUGH THE HOSE. THE GAS ESCAPES THROUGH THE ANNUAL SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBE AND BORE-HOLE 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 DOWN HOLE 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. . . MUTUAL AGREEMENT OF THE PARTIES, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO EITHER PARTY, TO REVISE THE CONTRACT PLACE OF DELIVERY. THE HARDWARE SHALL NOT BE MODIFIED OR USED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF NASA.