Episode 26 - Manufacturing the New Artemis Lunar Drill

On today’s show we’re getting an inside look at the design, testing and manufacturing processes at Honeybee Robotics, as they build a key component for the Orion Spacecraft, and a new lunar drill.

Don your bunny suits, because we are excited to bring you inside a clean-room and experience first-hand how space hardware is made from prototype through manufacturing! Tune in to hear from Andrew Maurer and Isabel King of Honeybee, as we get a behind the scenes tour at their production facility in Longmont, CO. THIS is going to be cool!

We’ve explored the Artemis program on the show before, if you missed those episodes go back and give a listen to episode 10 to hear from an Orion spacecraft engineer, and episode 21 as we compare Apollo and Artemis with former NASA Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, and historian Dr. Teasel Harmony-Muir.

Key Takeaways:

• The Artemis Project aims to land near the southern pole of the Moon so that we can investigate and bring back samples of lunar ice. We can then test it and see how it got there and if it’s drinkable! 
• Orion is the name of the spacecraft that will take astronauts to space, and Artemis is the name of the overall mission. 
• Honeybee’s products are rigorously tested before being sent to NASA. Vibration, thermal, and human testing are just a few that help ensure safety and efficiency. They even have astronauts test and give their input! 
• The lunar drill that Honeybee is creating will enable astronauts to drill about 3 meters into the Lunar Surface and collect several rock and ice samples.

Resources:

• Design and Test of the Orion Crew Module Side Hatch
• NASA Selects 12 New Lunar Science, Technology Investigations | NASA
• Apollo to Artemis: Drilling on the Moon | NASA
• Honeybee Robotics