Electrostatic Regolith Sampling from Asteroids

To realize reliable regolith sampling for autonomous operation in space, we are developing a new sampling system that employs electrostatic force. This system employs a combination of electrostatic capture and transport of particles. High voltage is applied between parallel screen electrodes of the sampling device. Owing to electrostatic force, particles are captured at the screen electrode of the device. The captured particles are then transported by an electrostatic traveling wave and transferred to a collection capsule. Because gravity is extremely low on small asteroids, the process of sampling particles on asteroids will be easier than that on the Earth. Particles of varying sizes will be transported by some transport conveyers with different pitches of the electrodes because the particle size that can be transported by this device depends on the pitch between the transport electrodes.