Managed by DLR Cologne, the mole will provide mobility to the
stationary lander. Pluto (planetary undersurface tool) as the
mole is called, has the ability to crawl across the surface
(shown right) at the rate of 1cm every 5 seconds, using a compressed
spring mechanism to propel a drive mass. Samples are collected
in a cavity in the tip which opens when the mole reaches a sampling
location.
The distance covered or the depth burrowed is dependent
on the length of the power cable which in turn reflects the
mass available for the unit. It is expected that the mole
will be able to crawl up to three metres away from the lander,
including the burrowing phase; it is recovered by rewinding
the cable with a winch.
Laboratory tests of the penetration powers of the mole at ESTEC. Construction, building, testing and management of the mole is coordinated by Dr. Lutz Richter of DLR (pictured below)
The robotic arm aids the sample delivery from the mouth of the
mole into the opening to the laboratory inside the lander. The
device has a total weight of 950g and power consumption only
a couple of watts.
In addition to horizontal movement (pictured left), the same
process hammers the mole into the ground or under boulders a
millimetre per strike.
