MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
Contact: Nancy Lovato, 818-354-0474 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April
12, 2000 NASA DEVELOPS A DRILL FOR THE FUTURE It's an invention
that may eventually end up in the hands of every craftsman and
orthopedic surgeon. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., together with engineers from
Cybersonics, Inc., Erie, Penn., have developed a small,
lightweight ultrasonic device that can drill and core very hard
rocks and also has possible medical Potential medical uses
include extracting pacemaker leads, and the drilling necessary
during surgical or diagnostic procedures involving the human
skeletal structure. Future space missions that might use this
new technology could include drilling for samples using
lightweight landers with robotic arms, and small rovers that
roam the surface of an asteroid or planet. "The drill is a