Posted on 03/07/2004 2:31:35 AM PST by LibWhacker
WHITEHORSE, Yukon Territory - Yukon technology could be headed to Mars.
NASA has contracted Erik Blake of Whitehorse's Icefield Instruments Inc. to design an ice core drill to be tested in May and, perhaps eventually on Mars, if Houston finds no problems.
Blake sells ice drill assemblies now for about $130,000 each but wouldn't discuss what the contract with NASA was worth.
"It works much like an auger for drilling holes in the lake for ice fishing, but it is actually cutting a doughnut shape and leaving the inside core," he said.
The prototype will be built with regular steel and aluminum. Blake suspects that if his work makes the grade and gets to go to Mars, NASA will probably look for material a little more exotic and lightweight.
NASA plans to test the drill at the Eureka weather station on Ellesmere Island.
Design engineer Brian Derkowski at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, said Friday he couldn't say for sure what will happen after Blake's prototype is tested in May.
It could be developed further, or a decision may be made to put off further development until a mission date has been assigned, Derkowski said.
Blake is off to join the millionares club very soon.
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