Nebula Public Library

EXOMARS features a multi-stem drill, pioneered by the MIRO driller (TRP result in 2001), capable of acquiring samples 2 meters down in the ground.Multi stem drills are the right solution for shallow depths, however for reaching deeper they present problems that are too difficult to solve within the constraint of space missions. Drillers of this type require a cumulated length of pipe as long as the depth reached, which translates into a large mass. Furthermore friction increases with depth so for any drill larger than few meters, the well must be lined.