NORCAT wooing NASA.

Ten years ago, Sudbury's Jim Richard could not have fathomed he would be working on designing advanced drilling technology destined for space.

Back then, as vice-president of sales for Electric Vehicle Controllers Ltd. (EVC), he was building and installing electronic control systems for underground mining locomotives.

"I'm still doing that stuff, but I've got new toys to play with."

Richard has taken up residence at Cambrian College's Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) facilities where he is an industry partner in building an electric-powered drill for space.

His team has developed several prototypes.

They want to be a part of Canada's contribution to future missions to the moon and Mars commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

"This is alpha-prototype stuff," says Richard.

Peers maintain his mining industry know-how is a key element is building NORCAT's lightweight drill known as the CanaDrill.

Funded by the Canadian Space Agency, it will likely be part of the RESOLVE mission payload to the moon in 2010.

"I don't consider myself a researcher, I consider myself an innovator."

The brains at NASA knew they wanted a drilling device to gather core samples for a future Asteroid lander mission or a flight to Mars but they didn't know the nuts and bolts of how to do it.

Luckily, NORCAT officials did and picked Richard to join their team. They wanted his electrical and mechanical expertise in designing a system that could drill and retrieve a core sample and hand it off to another device for analysis.

Since hydraulics and compressors do not work in space, the drill developed had to be electrified and some of the conventional control systems used in the mining industry were applicable.

"We're building on the expertise we've developed in terrestrial mining and taking it beyond that level of automation," says Richard.

Moreover, they need to deliver an intelligent device that can troubleshoot its own problems.

"Autonomy is a big issue. Service calls are not really an option."

Though project demands constantly change, Richard finds personal satisfaction in the high calibre of people he regularly rubs shoulders with and their ability to learn new things.

"We're constantly finding new sources of innovative ideas," says Richard. "It's the cross-pollination of ideas that makes this job interesting."

Though not intended to be a big moneymaker for his company, Richard believes the space drill technology will eventually open doors for more terrestrial applications.

Richard says the drill technology they have produced would be ideal for the hydro-geology market to analyze water quality or test for the spread of contaminants resulting from a PCB spill.

"I think this is a growth industry," says Richard. "Perhaps not in lifetime but in my kids' lifetime there will be commercial (mining) operations in space ... and I believe it is industry's role, not government's role (to drive it)."

www.norcat.org

By IAN ROSS

Northern Ontario Business