Apollo Lunar Surface Drill (ALSD) center cut bit designed for boring into the lunar surface, measuring approximately 2.5″ long with a 1″ diameter, featuring a five-toothed drill bit opening with triangular cutter at center, and five holes around the edge designed to shed material out the sides. Includes its blue Chicago-Latrobe tube, labeled: "Center Cut Lunar Bit, PD 6000190 009." The ALSD bit is made of heat-treated 5150 steel with tungsten carbide cutting blades.
The Apollo Lunar Surface Drill was deployed on Apollo 15, 16, and 17, consisting of a battery-powered motor with specialized drill bits and modular core stem tubes fitted together. The system was designed to extract columns of lunar regolith to return to Earth, and to create holes for the placement of two heat flow probes. The rigid but hollow core stem tubes allowed astronauts to drill up to ten feet into the lunar surface for these purposes.
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