OptiDrill: Instrumented Drill for In Situ Planetary Subsurface Analysis

Understanding the preserved regolith stratigraphy and undisturbed grains on planetary surfaces is crucial for deciphering formation processes and characterizing water content. These tasks are vital to both planetary science and future commercial activities on the Moon and Mars. Currentgeneration regolith-oriented coring drills often disrupt unconsolidated regolith stratigraphy during core extraction, and water ice quickly sublimates and hydrated minerals can transform once brought to the surface. There is a critical need for technology that can analyze undisturbed samples in situ, preserving the delicate stratigraphy and volatiles such as water ice. The OptiDrill technology development effort addresses this gap by providing an instrumented drill capable of performing in situ multispectral microscopic imaging. This requires integrating advanced optical instruments into a compact auger system, making it suitable for a variety of planetary exploration missions, including those to the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and icy worlds. This approach brings the instruments directly to the sample, allowing for the collection of spatially-correlated data sets that are otherwise unattainable. Under NASA PICASSO funding, OptiDrill is being matured from TRL 2 to TRL 4. We are currently working towards an end-to-end prototype of the instrumented drill to conduct extensive testing using a range of planetary analogs to validate the instrument's performance. The development of OptiDrill will significantly enhance the capabilities of subsurface investigations by providing highresolution, spatially-correlated mineralogical data and water content measurements. The in situ analysis preserves the stratigraphy and minimizes the loss of volatiles, offering a more accurate understanding of planetary subsurface regimes.