| Summary: | Team MINEcraft intends to prove that it is possible to create a device capable of extracting an ice core sample from the lunar surface using existing technologies. Ice core samples contain valuable scientific information and extracting lunar ice could benefit future manned exploration. Water ice exists on the lunar surface in permanently shadowed craters near the poles, and is mechanically simpler to extract than subsurface ice buried under regolith. The craft is comprised of a coring drill powered by a DC motor, electronics controlling the craft’s motion, a thermal system to protect the craft from extreme low temperatures in the lunar craters, and the structure holding everything together. MINEcraft’s mission begins with the craft in position, consists of extracting an ice core, and ends with an ice core held in the drill. The technical challenge that MINEcraft faces is designing to the environmental conditions including vacuum, extreme cold, and hard ice.
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