Design and Ground Simulation Performance Test of Coring Sampler for Mars Drilling and Sampling

The complex composition and extremely harsh, uncertain surface conditions on Mars impose stringent requirements on the coring performance and fault tolerance of a coring sampler. To satisfy the drilling and coring requirements of Martian soil–rock composite strata, a coring sampler capable of multiple repeated sampling operations is designed, which enables reliable acquisition and preservation of core samples. Drilling and coring experiments are conducted on simulated Martian soil with different particle size distributions and relative densities, as well as basalt specimens. The coring efficiency of the developed bit for Martian soil and rock under diverse working conditions, together with its wear characteristics during repeated coring, is systematically investigated. The results indicate that the proposed coring sampler structure is well adaptable to Martian soil–rock composite drilling. The coring mass of simulated Martian soil increases with increasing advance-to-rotation ratio and relative density, as well as decreasing median particle size. The coring mass of specimens with 91.7% relative density is significantly higher than that of 72.8%, and the maximum single coring mass of fine-grained pure regolith specimens reaches 19.32 g. During basalt coring, higher rotational speeds lead to more severe bit wear and more pronounced temperature elevation, with a peak temperature of 372.4 °C at 120 r/min. A rotational speed of 110 r/min achieves the best compromise between core integrity and bit service life, exhibiting excellent long-term operational stability and favorable cutting–rock-breaking matching performance. The results of this research provide a reference scheme and data support for future Martian soil–rock composite coring and drilling exploration missions.