Plasma Drills

Given the intense and extremely harsh radiation on the surface of Mars coupled with high soil erosion it is almost easy to predict finding life on the surface of mars will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Many moons, such as Europa and Enceladus, are believed to have subsurface oceans. Technologies such as ice-penetrating radar and oceanic submersible robots are being developed to explore these hidden water bodies and analyze their potential for hosting life​ Space Tech News.

 

We know that water, which is a good biosignature and indicator of the presence of life because of how incredibly useful it is to earth as a resource, is in the form of  polar permafrost ice on the surface of Mars. exploring this will be great for attempting to find signs for past life. Going below the surface is key because if there any biosignatures that may accurately indicate alien life, there is a large possibility that it could have survived the Radiation. 

 

Drills are excellent for digging and going below the surface as on Earth but a major challenge is the payload we are able to transport to mars even with recent advancement in rocket and space craft technologies. Developing a miniaturized drilling system that also has to be transported in parts due to payload restrictions, reassembled and autonomously function is also an engineering feet. Plasma drills however are efficient for drilling deeper into the surface than we have ever been for a few reasons.

 

A plasma drill does not need to be mechanically assembled, it uses ionized gas/ plasma to churn down material or create an electrical discharge to produce high-energy plasma. Unlike mechanical drills which rely on abrasion to penetrate the surface and are designed with high considerations of mechanical wear and tear.

 

Plasma drills are very suitable for drilling though still very much experimental because such a drill will require a lot of energy to be able to autonomously generate plasma. But ongoing research is being conducted to significantly reduce the system power consumption/needs notably a new plasma drilling system is under development by the Zaptec, Inc. company.