Duration: 8 months
In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is a crucial step for sustainable space exploration, as it encompasses all processes that make use of local resources to generate useful products for robotic and human exploration. The surfaces of both the Moon and Mars are covered in regolith—a layer of fragmented rocks and fine dust rich in valuable elements and minerals—offering a primary resource for oxygen extraction, infrastructure, manufacturing, and metals production. Unlike the Moon, Mars has a CO2-dominated atmosphere with an average surface pressure of 6 mbar, which has been mostly studied for oxygen extraction. However, gas flow has the potential of transporting regolith particles, and naturally sort it by size as smaller grains are more easily lifted and transported than larger ones, in a process known as saltation.
This study explores an innovative approach: adapting technologies like blowers, wind tunnels, and suction devices to leverage Martian atmospheric gases for fine regolith collection, size sorting, and vertical transport, as the first step in an ISRU process chain. Specifically, a modified suction device could capture fine regolith suitable for additive manufacturing, while blowers and wind tunnels could enable efficient transport and beneficiation to produce a well-defined feedstock for subsequent resource extraction processes. First, a theoretical analysis adapts dust transport models to evaluate how low-pressure gradients could assist in Martian regolith handling. Then, a trade-off study evaluates the efficiency of these methods compared to traditional techniques, using performance metrics like energy demand, and process specific figures of merit. Finally, the most promising technologies are further investigated in detail to define requirements for designing an initial experimental breadboard. The goal of this study is to lay the groundwork for developing innovative technologies to utilize local Martian resources to support future exploration missions.
