PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY STUDY OF DRILLING A HOLE ON THE MOON

Abstract

Research was concerned with the feasibility of drilling a hole on the moon. The preliminary feasibility study showed that of every known proven drilling method and many untried methods, percussion drilling will be the most suitable for Lunar drilling, where the weight and space requirements are limited for the first drillequipped Lunar craft. Study indicated that the mechanical simplicity of the rotary system should give it a reliability advantage for small dimeter (1/2 in.) holes which are less than 5 feet deep. Conversely, deeper holes and holes of 3/4 to 4 in. diameter can best be made by a percussor. For heavier space craft of the future where deep holes larger than 4 in. diameter are desirable, it is almost certain that rotary drilling with rolling cutter bits will have many advantages.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 23, 1960
Accession Number
AD0258661

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Flow
  • Burning Rate
  • Combustion
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Electric Power
  • Energy
  • Energy Storage
  • Energy Transfer
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Flow
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heat Transmission
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Materials Processing
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Specific Heat
  • Thermodynamics

Readers

  • Manufacturing Engineering.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris
  • Space - Satellites