Probing regolith-covered surfaces in low gravity

The surfaces of many planetary bodies, including asteroids, moons, and planets, are composed rubble-like grains held together by varying levels gravitational attraction cohesive forces. Future instrumentation for operation on, interacting with, such will require efficient effective design principles methods testing. Here we present results from the EMPANADA experiment (Ejecta-Minimizing Protocols Applications Needing Anchoring or Digging on Asteroids) which flew several reduced gravity parabolic flights. studies effects insertion a flexible probe into granular medium as function ambient gravity. This is done an idealized 2D system well more realistic 3D sample. To quantify dynamics inside material employ photoelasticity to identify grain-scale forces throughout system, while in experiments use simulated regolith. Experiments were conducted at three different gravity: martian, lunar, microgravity. In this work, demonstrate that photoelastic technique provides complement traditional load cell measurements sample, show exhibits similar behaviour We note presence discrete, stick-slip failure events depends acceleration.