H.O.W.A.R.D.

H.O.W.A.R.D. (Handheld Off World Acquisition of Regolith Device) was designed by a team of Clemson students and me, challenged by NASA to pick up the top 5 millimeters of lunar regolith on the moon without disturbing grain boundaries. It works by first extending the arm and deploying the feet for stability. The user steps on the feet and twists clockwise, initiating the internal mechanism. On the inside there is a roll of thin copper clamped by two rollers. When the user twists the handle, gears translate the motion 90 degrees and reduces the speed. The gears are connected to the rollers which pushes the copper through a thin slot in the bottom. There are rails on the bottom tray that the copper follows and it slices the ground at 5 millimeters. The user then picks up the device and pulls out the tray which then cuts the copper and leaves it as the first bottom. A second bottom with a handle is attached to move it easier. A new tray can then be inserted and the process can be repeated again.