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ASTRA

Archimedes Screw for Targeted Regolith Aggregation (ASTRA), is a Cornell MicroGravity surface sampling device designed to collect 9 square inches of a sample whose particle size could range from dust to one eighth inch diameter. NASA envisions ASTRA being used by astronauts on Extravehicular Activities (EVA) on Mars in the coming years. ASTRA functions by converting the lateral trigger motion of the operator to rotational motion of the Archimedes screw through a ratcheting sprocket and chain mechanism.  ASTRA’s components were machined, 3D printed, and assembled entirely by the team at Cornell.  The device was successfully tested in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), each attempt drawing up the required quantity of sample with ease of use from the NBL divers.  

I was responsible for the design of the unlatching mechanism of the surface collector.  The mechanism allowed for removal and storage of a surface sample while taking into consideration operation using astronaut hand gloves.     

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