Kayser-Threde GmbH developed the Sample Processing and Distribution Subsystem (SPDS) for the ExoMars rover mission to handle and distribute rock and soil core samples from Mars. The SPDS includes mechanisms to transport samples from the drill to analytical instruments, crush samples into powder, dose powdered samples into containers for analysis, and position samples in front of instruments. Recent testing of the SPDS mechanisms together in ambient and simulated Mars conditions was successful in processing various rock and icy sample types and meeting requirements. Some improvements were identified for future designs, such as adding hammering to the crusher and increasing powder agitation. The SPDS development supports the 2018 ExoMars rover mission and sample handling for future planetary missions.

1. we. create. space.
Kayser-Threde GmbH
The ExoMars Sample Handling and Distribution Subsystem
(SPDS)
Space
Industrial Applications
L. Richter, P. Hofmann, Q. Mühlbauer, R. Paul, D. Redlich (Kayser-Threde
GmbH, Munich, Germany), S.J. Antony (University of Leeds, UK)
Pietro Baglioni and Stephen Durrant, ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Fabio Musso, Thales Alenia Space, Torino, Italy
ISTVS 7th Americas Regional Conference, 4 - 7 November 2013
www.kayser–threde.com
1

2. Overview
 Recent results from on-going development of Sample Processing
and Distribution Subsystem (SPDS) for ExoMars rover
 Programmatic plans for evolutions of SPDS design targeted to
other missions
 Development activities on regolith sampling devices
2
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
2

3. 3
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
3

4. ESA ExoMars 2018 Rover Mission
The ExoMars Rover

carries a drill to collect rock and soil core samples from the Mars
surface and underground (depth down to 2m)

accommodates the Analytical Laboratory Drawer (ALD) with the
‘Pasteur’ Payload, a set of instruments for the search of extant and
extinct life on Mars, and the Sample Preparation and Distribution
System
Credit: TAS-I
Credit: ESA
4
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
4

5. The ExoMars Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS)
The SPDS receives Mars rock and soil drill core samples from the Rover drill tool and
prepares and presents them to the various analytical instruments.
The SPDS acts as the interface between the drill which is mounted to the outside of the
Rover, and the following ‘Pasteur’ instruments in the Rover Analytical Laboratory Drawer:

Raman Spectrometer (RLS)

MicrOmega Infrared Microscope (MIRU)

Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA)
Blank Sample Dispenser
Drill deposits
Mars sample
– Gas Chromatograph (GC)
– Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometer (LD-MS)
The sample path and a major part of the SPDS is
located within a sealed enclosure in the Rover/ALD
(Ultra-clean Zone).
Crushing Station
Transport
Mechanism
Carousel
Dosing Station
Positioner
5
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
5

6. Core Sample Handling Mechanism (CSHS)
The CSHS consists of

Core Sample Transportation
Mechanism (CSTM)
– input interface for transfer of the
core samples from drill to
Rover/ALD
BSD design
CSTM breadboard
– opens/closes the door of the
ALD and Ultra-clean Zone
– transports and delivers the
samples to Crushing Station

Blank Sample Dispenser (BSD)
CSHS
Sample
container
– stores six ‘blank samples’ and
dispenses them into the
Crushing Station when needed
ALD/UCZ
front door
6
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
6

7. Crushing Station (CS)
Material Input
Elegant BB

Miniature jaw crusher, crushes raw
samples from drill to produce
powder or small grain samples for
further analysis by the Pasteur
instruments

If a sample cannot be
crushed/processed it will be
released by opening the jaws (dejamming mechanism) and dumped
into a ‘waste bin’

Design recently enhanced by
addition of a Vibration / Shock
Mechanism (VSM)
Material Output
Dimensions < 130 x 125 x 155 mm
7
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
7

8. Powdered Sample Dosing and Distribution System (PSDDS)
rotation

Two (redundant) dosing units are
mounted on a rotating arm, can be
positioned either under the Crushing
Station or over the carousel.


The dosing function employs a
revolving wheel with hollow pockets
of defined volume which are filled
with the sample material.

8
The dosing units dispense sample
powder in amounts of 0.1 ml per
dosing step.
Dosing units
Piezo vibrators are used to ease
sample discharging and cleaning
20/12/2013
Positioner
Kayser-Threde Presentation
8

9. Powder Sample Handling System (PSHS)
PSHS carousel
MOMA
Orientation point

Laser sensor
Camera
PSHS receives powder samples
from Dosing Station and presents
them to the Pasteur instruments in
– Refillable container (RC)
RC
– Pyrolysis ovens (MOMA GC)

Powder sample surface in RC is
flattened by passing a flat blade
over sample

Samples are positioned with high
accuracy, relative to instrument
viewing ports (MOMA LD-MS,
MIRU)

Sample handling under ultra-clean
conditions in the Ultra-clean Zone
Flattening blade
Waste container
Dosing funnel
Camera
Cleaning blade
PSHS elegant breadboard
9
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
9

10. Effect of Mars Gravity
 SPDS mechanisms rely on the action of gravity in
the flow of granular samples from one mechanism
to the next
 Combination of testing on parabolic flights and
numerical simulations applied to capture and
understand effects of reduced gravity
 Modelling approach chosen in simulations: DEM
(Discrete Element Method)
 Latest parabolic flight campaign: December 2012
(by Technical University of Munich): series of
different 2D shapes of the PSDDS Dosing Station
hoppers at simulated Mars and lunar gravity, with
sample holders and powders exposed to
Mars atmospheric pressure
 Simulation and testing: shown to agree in trends of
sample mass flow as function of hopper shape and
dimensions, leading to implementation of moderate
design changes
10
20/12/2013
Still from December 2012 TUM /
LRT parabolic flight experiment with
2D hoppers (set of 3 hoppers
of different throat diameters is
visible) (credit: P. Reiss, TUM / LRT)
SPDS DS funnel:
DEM simulation
Kayser-Threde Presentation
10

11. Effect of Mars Gravity
DEM results on effect of friction
coefficient between hopper wall
material (steel) and grains on
average mass flow rate
DEM results on effect of slit
opening size on average mass
flow rate of particles
11
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
11

12. SPDS Test Models and Test Campaigns

Breadboards of all four SPDS mechanisms and an engineering model of the Crushing
Station have been built for test purposes.

Functional tests were performed at ambient laboratory conditions, at low temperature in a
thermal chamber and in a simulated Mars environment
(-50…-60°C, 5…10 mbar CO2) in the Mars Simulation Laboratory of the University of
Aarhus (Denmark).

SPDS end-to-end test (E2E): successfully performed in spring of 2013 involving all SPDS
mechanisms into a combined assembly
Crushing
Station EM
(~ 2.8 kg)
12
12/20/2013
Basalt
sample
Kayser-Threde Presentation
12

13. Laboratory Setup to Test the SPDS End-to-end (E2E) Sample Handling Chain
Main test goals (initial phase):

“Learn” to operate the
individual mechanisms in
a ‘chain event’

SPDS functions, sample
transfer efficiency

Camera
Tests in Mars simulated
environment (T, p, CO2)
SPDS Mechanisms
13
Sample
Dispenser
12/20/2013
Tilting
Mechanism
SPDS End-to-end (E2E) Test Setup
Kayser-Threde Presentation
13

14. Laboratory Test Setup for SPDS End-to-end (E2E) Performance Testing
E2E test setup
equipped with
additional external
sensors for


14
20/12/2013
precise position
measurements
of sample tray /
ovens
powder sample
surface flatness
(laser scan)
Kayser-Threde Presentation
14

15. E2E Test Results
Scenes from E2E
ambient testing
(January 2013)
15
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
15

16. E2E Test Results
Crushing progress of gypsum sample in Mars environment;
view is from the top into the CS, showing the gap between
fixed and moving jaws
16
20/12/2013
Close-up of PSDDS sample inlet
hopper with crushed ‘coarse
sand’ having accumulated (outlet
funnel of CS is visible at top)
Kayser-Threde Presentation
16

17. E2E Test Results
ICY20GLAS
17
20/12/2013
ICY10GLAS
Mars Night
Surface profile after flattening
crushed ‘coarse sand’ sample in
RC in Mars environment (2D
laser sensor profiling)
Dosing of crushed ‘icy’ sample in
Mars environment
ICY10GLAS
ICY20
ICY20
Kayser-Threde Presentation
17

18. E2E Test Results 1/2
 Testing at both ambient and in simulated Mars environment: very successful
 Comprehensive test plan: sample processing and powder delivery tests on all ExoMars drill
& SPDS reference materials plus ‘icy’ samples
 cores of different rock types in format expected from the ExoMars drill
 several Mars regolith (soil-like materials) simulants, some of them doped with
Magnesium sulfate and perchlorate salts in concentrations known to exist in the regolith
of Mars
 ice-containing samples (investigated specifically in Mars environment), produced by
freezing a mixture of one of the regolith simulants with 10 and 20 wt-% of water,
respectively
 CS grain size requirement on fines generated by crushing: fulfilled for the reference materials
 Dosing of sample powder: shown to be very repeatable and fulfilling the requirement
 Flattening of the sample powder in the RC tray, and its subsequent removal: fulfilling the
requirement
 PSHS carousel positioning performance: fulfilling the requirement, both at ambient and
in Mars environment
18
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
18

19. E2E Test Results 2/2
 Successfully processed ice-rich regolith samples (in Mars environment):

Crushing

dosing of powder (with intermediate storage)
 Caking of sample powder on jaws of the Crushing Station (CS): observed to be overall
higher than expected, both at ambient and in Mars environment: has led to decision
to implement a hammering mechanism (VSM) into the CS design baseline
 In particular in Mars environment, sample powder was observed to adhere to PSDDS
dosing unit hopper internal surfaces to a larger extent than at ambient (probably due to
triboelectric charging), being in line with observations on prior Mars missions with
sample acquisition and handling

19
20/12/2013
primary mitigation measure in design: implement a stronger powder agitation by the
PSDDS piezo actuators by implementing a higher piezo supply voltage
Kayser-Threde Presentation
19

20. Conclusions
 Automated sample handling for planetary landing missions:

Always closely associated with sample acquisition

Relevant for in situ as well as sample return missions

Needs to address: reduced gravity, powder adherence (cross contamination),
mechanisms in (self-generated) dusty environment
 Kayser-Threde developing ExoMars SPDS (sample handling and distribution S/S)


20
Recent major achievement: successful end-to-end (E2E) testing of SPDS BB‘s /
EM‘s at ambient and Mars environment
In development for flight in 2018
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
20

21. Acknowledgement
The work reported in this paper was performed by Kayser-Threde (Germany) under
contract to Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-I), the ExoMars mission prime, and Selex
Electronics Systems with funding from the European Space Agency.
Several external entities contributed as a project partners.
The authors wish to thank ESA and TAS-I.
21
20/12/2013
Kayser-Threde Presentation
21