Lunar Helium-3 Mining, LLC

Sharpmed, Llc.

Sharp Medical Products—chest Tube, Llc.

Sharp Medical Products - Oxygen Face Mask, LLC

Salvino, Chris

Huseman, Mark

Hart, Keir

Chris Salvino

Andrew Dummer

Paul A Beatty

Keir Hart

Mark Joseph Huseman

Drew F DeJarnette

Kenneth Altshuler

Drew Dejarnette

Frederick Austin

Mark Huseman

Described is a particle filtration system that protects a gas segregation region from lunar regolith dust by using, among other filtration elements, an integrated electromagnetic and electrostatic dust repelling system. The system includes a particle intake chamber with a particle repelling screen comprising a planar array of conductive wires energized with phase-shifted alternating current to generate a time-varying magnetic field. This field repels iron-rich dust particles laterally. An ionizing element located between the particle repelling screen and the gas segregation region. The ionizing element generates one or more electron curtains that charge neutral dust particles, which are then drawn to paired conductive plates via electrostatic attraction. A final-stage ULPA mesh filter captures any remaining particles, ensuring only gas enters the gas segregation region. This design enhances dust mitigation, improves gas collection efficiency, and protects sensitive components in harsh extraterrestrial environments.

Particle repelling arrangement

Described is a particle filtration system that protects a gas segregation region from lunar regolith dust by using an electrostatic filter arrangement. An ionizing element (screen or bar, for example) generates one or more electron curtains that charge neutral dust particles, which are then drawn to paired conductive plates via electrostatic attraction. The system operates efficiently in vacuum conditions, leveraging field emission from sharp triangular apexes of the ionizing element/s to create high-density electron streams. A final-stage ULPA mesh filter captures any remaining particles, ensuring only gas enters the gas segregation region. This design enhances dust mitigation, improves gas collection efficiency, and protects sensitive components in harsh extraterrestrial environments.

Electrostatic filtration arrangement

Described herein are embodiments directed to collecting vaporize gas via a CPC arrangement. The CPC arrangement generally comprises a transporter that carries around a cover with one or more cryogenically cooled plates (or some other cryogenically cooled surface) therein. A plurality of CPCs dispersed on the transporter each have a concave reflective bowl that captures and directs sunlight through a fiberoptic cable where the sunlight is focused on regolith in an internal environment defined within the cover when resting atop the regolith. The focused sunlight heats the regolith and liberates the gas from the regolith, which is trapped in the internal environment. The gas in the internal environment condenses on the cooled plates where it can be collected and processed.

Compound parabolic concentrator arrangement

Described herein are embodiments directed to a heat recovery arrangement for collecting vaporized gas trapped in regolith. The heat recovery arrangement generally comprising a rover that carries heat recovery elements that cooperate with a primary heat source. The heat recovery elements include a preheat contact element that preheats a region of regolith before the region is brought to high heat by the primary heat source. As the rover moves forward, the preheat contact element receives heat collected from the high heat region via a heat recovery sled that moves in contact with the high heat region. Heat is transferred between the heat recovery sled and the preheat contact element via a heat transfer medium that circulates through the heat recovery sled and preheat contact element.

Heat recovery arrangement

Disclosed is a gas separation arrangement for separating and containing various types of gas received from a collection chamber. In certain embodiments, the gas separation arrangement is envisioned to assist in mining select gases from the Moon. The arrangement includes plurality of progressively chilled separation tanks that successively separate out different species of gas. The separation tanks are connected to and receive the various gas species from the collection chamber. Each separation tank can have an independent heat exchanger that maintains the respective separation tank at a temperature that selectively liquifies/precipitates out a target species of gas allowing the remaining gas to move to a successive separation tank. Ultimately, He-3 and He-4 are separated from one another to be collected, like the other gas species.

Progressively chilled gas separation tanks

Described herein are embodiments directed to a particle repelling helmet having particle mitigation system that keeps dust particles from going into the interior of the helmet. The helmet comprises a face vent that provides an unobstructed pathway between an external environment and a wearer's eyes, nose and mouth. A spacer arrangement connected to an inner side of the helmet provides a channel between the wearer's head and the inner helmet side. A fan blows air through the helmet, across the wearer's head and out the face vent and head receiving opening in the bottom of the helmet. Electrodes disposed along the edge of the face vent produce an electrostatic barrier that spans the face vent thereby further preventing charged dust from going into the helmet. The helmet can also comprise an ionizer that generates ions, which charges neutral dust particles that can be blocked by the barrier.

Dust mitigation headgear

Disclosed is a laryngoscope arrangement that channels gas, such as oxygen, through a passageway and out through an exhaust port near or at a blade distal end of a laryngoscope blade of the laryngoscope to infuse a patient with the gas during an intubation procedure. The laryngoscope arrangement can either be a gas channeling laryngoscope or gas channeling sleeve that fits over a significant portion of a standard, non-gas carrying laryngoscope. In either case, the passageway is formed along a manufacturing seam of either the gas channeling laryngoscope or gas channeling sleeve. The passageway is configured to be connected to a gas source, such as a tank or compressor.

Oxygen dispensing laryngoscope

Oxygen dispensing laryngoscope sleeve

A vapor collection system that can be used at an extra-terrestrial body is envisioned to collect target gaseous atoms and molecules (material) floating around in a shielded environment at a pressure at or less than a bar. The shielded environment is defined within a cover and skirt arrangement that rests atop granular soil, which in one embodiment is regolith. It is advantageous for the regolith under the cover to be essentially devoid of loose rocks that would reduce mining efficacy and/or the cover from sealing against the regolith surface. Accordingly, certain embodiments envision mining the regolith with a zero tailings arrangement that uses a front plow to clear away loose rocks from where the cover will rest on the regolith and a redeposition blade to collect and redeposit the cleared away loose rocks behind the cover.

Debris clearing rover

Disclosed is a nanosecond neutron analysis and associated particle imaging system (NNA/API) and gamma ray detector arrangement (arrangement) that uses associative element detection of titanium, iron and oxygen to determine concentrations of ilmenite or other minerals in extra-terrestrial bodies associated with He-3. The arrangement is used with a mobile carrier for mapping out concentrations of likely He-3 regions on the extra-terrestrial body.

Extraterrestrial nanosecond neutron analysis and associated particle imaging

Disclosed is a gas separation arrangement for separating and containing various types of gas from a collection chamber based on their different atomic masses. The chamber is connected to an ion diverter via a valve that when open permits the various types of gas to migrate from the collection chamber to an ionizer where the gas is ionized. The ionized gas is accelerated through an ion accelerator and dispensed into an ion deflector. The ion deflector comprises a magnetic field within a channel defined by a pair of split-pole magnets. The trajectory of the ions is based on the mass of the ions, which separates the ions. Multiple collectors are positioned at different locations on an exit side of the ion deflector to receive the different ions traveling along their respective trajectories.

Ionized gas separation arrangement

Disclosed is a segregating gas arrangement that generally comprises a gas segregation chamber, at least one cooling plate in the gas segregation chamber, and a carbon adsorber in an adsorption gas capturing chamber. The gas segregation chamber has a rim that when resting atop regolith defines a first interior environment. The cooling plates are in the gas segregation chamber, wherein the cooling plates are maintained at a first temperature above 5° K, which is a condensation temperature that higher temperature condensing gases will condense. The adsorption gas capturing chamber defines a second interior environment that is in communication with the first interior environment. The carbon adsorber is in the second interior environment and is maintained at a second temperature below 3° K. The carbon adsorber is configured to capture the low temperature condensing gas.

Cryogen chamber with adsorber

Disclosed is a He-3 detector arrangement that generally comprises a mass spectrometer that has an intake funnel configured to receive (sniff out) He-3 through an intake port directly from an open environment. The intake funnel is configured to direct the He-3 into the mass spectrometer. The arrangement further comprises a heating element configured to liberate the He-3 from regolith via heat. A mobile carrier is configured to position the intake port the regolith to obtain samples of the He-3.

Locating mining sites using an open mass spectrometer

A vapor collection system that can be used at an extra-terrestrial body is envisioned to collect target gaseous atoms and molecules (material) floating around in a shielded environment at a pressure at or less than a bar. The shielded environment is defined within a cover and skirt arrangement that rests atop granular soil, which in one embodiment is regolith. The cover and skirt arrangement generally comprises a skirt that extends from the cover to essentially seal against the surface of regolith to create a shielded environment to contain gaseous material from escaping into space. The skirt can be lowered on the regolith surface or dragged across and even made to conform to the surface. The gaseous material can be mined via a blade or excavation tool and heat source that liberates the gaseous material from the regolith.

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Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

Chris Salvino