Thermal mapping and trends of Mars analog materials in sample acquisition operations using experimentation and models

The effects of atmosphere, ambient temperature, and geologic material were studied experimentally and using a computer model to predict the heating undergone by Mars rocks during rover sampling operations. Tests were performed on five well-characterized and/or Mars analog materials: Indiana limestone, Saddleback basalt, kaolinite, travertine, and water ice. Eighteen tests were conducted to 55 mm depth using a Mars Sample Return prototype coring drill, with each sample containing six thermal sensors. A thermal simulation was written to predict the complete thermal profile within each sample during coring and this model was shown to be capable of predicting temperature increases with an average error of about 7%. This model may be used to schedule power levels and periods of rest during actual sample acquisition processes to avoid damaging samples or freezing the bit into icy formations. Maximum rock temperature increase is found to be modeled by a power law incorporating rock and operational parameters. Energy transmission efficiency in coring is found to increase linearly with rock hardness and decrease by 31% at Mars pressure. •We drill 18 samples in five materials, some Mars analogs, and measure temperatures.•We simulate coring operations to generate thermal maps of geologic materials.•Max core temp scales with rock hardness and increases by 42% at cold temperature.•Impact efficiency scales with rock hardness and decreases by 31% at Mars pressure.•We generate algorithms to control rock temperature and protect content of samples.