nasa sample system

grabcad

This novel bucket wheel sampling system is designed for low resistance and direct transfer into a collection bin. It employs three filters as sorting mechanisms: a 2cm filter on the bucket wheel's cylindrical area ensures only regolith up to 2cm is collected; a 1cm filter attached between the collection vessel and the bucket wheel, with a detachable solid channel underneath, filters out stones larger than 1cm to facilitate a layer of samples greater than 1cm; a 0.5cm filter on top of the collection vessel clears out samples larger than 0.5cm, creating a regolith layer less than 1cm thick. The system's layering requirements are met through robust two-relay control and an optimized mechanism composition. The bucket wheel's unique inner cone component acts as a sample leading slope to collect the first stage of samples excavated from the bucket, simplifying the bucket wheel sample transfer process by guiding the sample along a predetermined path with a height difference to the collection rail.