US: USG Corporation has announced it has partnered with Honeybee Robotics, a spacecraft technology and robotics company, for the field testing of Honeybee's Planetary Deep Drill System. The field testing, which will take place at USG's Plaster City gypsum quarry in Salton Sea, California is part of Honeybee's broader Mars exploration program, which aims to better understand the planet and the capabilities needed to send humans to the planet by the 2030s.
"We are honored to be the only company in our industry to play a role in this innovative endeavour to advance planetary exploration and the broader field of science," said Dominic Dannessa, Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Technology Officer at USG. "We believe innovation comes from inspired thinking inside our company and outside of it, so sharing our geotechnical expertise with Honeybee was a natural fit."
USG's Plaster City gypsum quarry was selected by Honeybee as the ideal site to test the Planetary Deep Drill due to gypsum's similarity to cryogenic ice observed on Mars, Enceladus, Europa and other planetary bodies. Honeybee will drill 100 feet into the depths of the gypsum quarry, which is significantly deeper than drills previously deployed to Mars were capable of accessing. The field test will assess the functionality of the Planetary Deep Drill and provide data for future improvements and enhancements. Scientists have suggested that inside gypsum crystals may be the ideal environment for life to exist on the surface or near surface or Mars.
Drilling at Plaster City will take place from mid-November 2015 until mid-December 2015.
