Mass spectrometry monitoring of drilling operations in water-doped lunar simulant under cryogenic conditions

The utilization of analytical instruments for the detection and quantification of volatiles on the Moon is crucial for the development of in situ resource utilization technology. A test campaign under cryogenic conditions aimed to simulate the cold lunar environment of permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). The test campaign was performed in a Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) equipped with a bin of regolith simulant doped at three increasing water concentrations delineated at specific depths (Dry, 2.5, and 5 wt%, respectively). The average operating pressure of the chamber was 1.6×10 -6 Torr with an average regolith temperature of -178°C. Four holes were drilled into the regolith simulant bin using The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) drill. The resulting cuttings-piles and their volatile activity were monitored via the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) instrument to determine the extent to which a mass spectrometer can monitor the release of volatiles during drilling activities in lunar-like environments. The results of this campaign helped to plan for the operation and subsequent data interpretation of the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) mission on the Moon.