Lunar PlanetVac
A sampler that collects Moon soil by blowing it into a container with its own compressed gas, like a vacuum cleaner that brings its own air.
Why it matters
Gas sampling collects soil in seconds without arms or scoops. The same idea is set to collect soil on Phobos for Japan's Mars Moons eXploration mission.
How the technology works
Pressurized gas stirs up regolith into a small cloud, and secondary jets carry it through a tube into a sample chamber, where particles up to about 1 cm are sieved and photographed. On Blue Ghost Mission 1 it never touched the surface because of uneven ground, but still collected samples including pebbles.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction